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Petty theft. [Scot.] Holinshed.

To steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to practice petty theft.

Petty theft. -- Pil"fer*ing*ly, adv.

Petty theft. [R.] Sir T. North.

is taken by open force from an enemy; pillage; spoil; booty; also, that which is taken by theft or fraud. "He shared in the plunder." Cowper.

To take or carry away for one's self; hence, to steal; to take by theft; to filch. Had from his wakeful custody purloined The guarded gold. Milton. when did the muse from Fletcher scenes purloin Dryden.

To take or seize, as in theft. "He hath not put his hand unto his neighbor's goods." Ex. xxii. 11. -- To put through, to cause to go through all conditions or stages of a progress; hence, to push to completion; to accomplish; as, he put through a measure of legislation; he put through a railroad enterprise. [U.S.] --…

The act or practice of robbing; theft. Thieves for their robbery have authority When judges steal themselves. Shak.

To bite or nibble like a sheep; hence, to practice petty thefts. [Obs.] Shak.

One who practices petty thefts. [Obs.] Shak. There are political sheepbiters as well as pastoral; betrayers of public trusts as well as of private. L'Estrange.

To practice, or be guilty of, theft; to commit larceny or theft. Thou shalt not steal. Ex. xx. 15.

of taking feloniously the personal property of another without his consent and knowledge; theft; larceny.

The act of stealing; theft. [Obs.] The owner proveth the stealth to have been committed upon him by such an outlaw. Spenser.

by silence, or by not interposing an objection. -- Tac"it*ly, adv. The tacit and secret theft of abusing our brother in civil contracts. Jer. Taylor.

One who steals; one who commits theft or larceny. See Theft. There came a privy thief, men clepeth death. Chaucer. Where thieves break through and steal. Matt. vi. 19.

To practice theft; to steal.

The practice of stealing; theft; thievishness. Among the Spartans, thievery was a practice morally good and honest. South.

Given to stealing; addicted to theft; as, a thievish boy, a thievish magpie.

To cease to frequent. [Obs.] They quit their thefts and unfrequent the fields. J. Philips.