sti:l v. & n. --v. (past stole;
past part. stolen) 1 tr. (also absol.) a
take (another person's property) illegally. b take (property etc.)
without right or
permission,
esp. in
secret with the intention of
not returning
it. 2 tr.
obtain surreptitiously or by
surprise (stole a kiss). 3 tr. a
gain insidiously or artfully. b (often foll. by away)
win or
get possession of (a person's affections etc.), esp. insidiously (stole
her heart away). 4 intr. (foll. by
in,
out,
away,
up, etc.) a
move, esp. silently or stealthily (stole out of the room). b (of a
sound etc.)
become gradually
perceptible. 5 tr. a (in
various sports) gain (a
run, the ball, etc.) surreptitiously or by
luck. b
Baseball reach (a base) by deceiving the fielders. --n. 1 US colloq. the
act or an
instance of stealing or
theft. 2 colloq. an unexpectedly
easy task or
good bargain. østeal a
march on get an
advantage over by
surreptitious means;
anticipate. steal the
show outshine other performers, esp. unexpectedly. steal a person's
thunder use another person's words, ideas,
etc., without permission
and without giving
credit. øøstealer n. (also in comb.). [OE stelan f. Gmc]