Purloin: meaning, example and synonyms
Purloinv. To steal something, typically in a sly or underhanded way.
Example
In the novel's opening chapter, a clerk purloins a single letter from the minister's desk, an act whose consequences unfold over the next three hundred pages.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Synonyms
- steal, pilfer, filch, swipe
- Antonyms
- return, restore, give back
- Memory tip
- PURLOIN = pull it away on the sly: a sneaky theft.
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Check yourself: Purloin in context
The detective concluded that the thief had ______ the jewels during the dinner party, slipping them from the safe while the other guests were absorbed in the host's toast.
Answer: purloined. Slipping jewels from a safe unnoticed is stealing them slyly, so purloined fits. refracted (bend light), articulated (express clearly) and enervated (drain of energy) don't fit this context.
The rival scholar was accused of having ______ the research notes from his colleague's office and publishing their discoveries under his own name.
Answer: purloined. Taking a colleague's notes and claiming their findings is theft, so purloined fits. refracted (bend light), enervated (drain of energy) and ingratiated (win favor by flattery) don't fit this context.