thief
gb/θˈif/ us/θˈif/
A2
Anglais
~ 4300
Sens
0 sens
Nom
A2
entity
1
A person who steals
Someone who takes things that are not theirs.
Schéma d’usage :
a [adjective] thief
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'thief' with 'robber' or 'burglar'; 'thief' is the general term, while the others describe specific types of stealing.
Synonymes
robber (Usually refers to someone who steals using force or threats.)
|
burglar (Specifically refers to someone who breaks into buildings to steal.)
Antonymes
owner (The lawful possessor of the property, opposite of someone who takes it unlawfully.)
Collocations
petty thief
|car thief
|pickpocket thief
|catch a thief
|thief in the night
Thèmes
crime
|law
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The police caught the thief as he tried to escape.
- A skilled thief can steal without being noticed.
- The museum's most valuable painting was taken by a thief.
- She shouted for help when she saw the thief running away.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The thief took my bag.
- A thief stole his bike.
- The police are looking for the thief.
- They caught the thief at the market.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
thief
API
GB/θˈif/
US/θˈif/
Syllabes et accentuation
thief (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (thief)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: thief
- Plural: thieves
Famille de mots
Expressions
set a thief to catch a thief
1/sˈɛt ə θˈif tə kˈæt͡ʃ ə θˈif/
idiom
Use a thief to catch one
To use someone who knows about bad actions to stop someone else doing them.
Exemples
- They hired a former hacker to find the cybercriminal—set a thief to catch a thief.
- Sometimes you have to set a thief to catch a thief when dealing with fraud cases.
thief in the night
1/θˈif ˈɪn ðə nˈaɪt/
idiom
literary
Something sudden and unexpected
Something that happens suddenly and without warning, often in a secret way.
Exemples
- The disease came upon him like a thief in the night.
- Failure can strike like a thief in the night if you are not careful.