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To take by petty theft; to filch; to steal little by little. And not a year but pilfers as he goes Some youthful grace that age would gladly keep. Cowper.

One who pilfers; a petty thief.

Thieving in a small way. Shak. -- n.

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

To purloin or embezzle, as the pieces of cloth remaining after cutting out a garment; to pilfer. Your tailor . . . cabbages whole yards of cloth. Arbuthnot.

To pilfer or purloin; hence, to steal from an author; to appropriate; to plagiarize; as, to crib a line from Milton. [Colloq.] Child, being fond of toys, cribbed the necklace. Dickens.

To steal or take privily (commonly, that which is of little value); to pilfer. Fain would they filch that little food away. Dryden. But he that filches from me my good name, Robs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed. Shak.

By pilfering or petty stealing.

To take thievishly; to pilfer; to purloin. Shak.

One who fingers; a pilferer.

Dexterous in taking and conveying away; thievish; pilfering; addicted to petty thefts. Fuller.

One that lurches or lies in wait; one who watches to pilfer, or to betray or entrap; a poacher.

To steal; to pilfer. "To keep my hands from picking and stealing." Book of Com. Prayer. To pick up, to improve by degrees; as, he is picking up in health or business. [Colloq. U.S.]

Pilfering; also, that which is pilfered.

Dryden. "[Ye] waste all that ye may rape and renne." Chaucer. All they could rap and rend pilfer. Hudibras. -- To rap out, to utter with sudden violence, as an oath. A judge who rapped out a great oath. Addison.

s; to give renown to. [Obs.] For joi to hear me so renown his son. Chapman. The bard whom pilfered pastorals renown. Pope.

To make free with; hence, to steal; to pilfer. [Obs. or Prov.] Tusser. To rig the market (Stock Exchange), to raise or lower market prices, as by some fraud or trick. [Cant]

To beg; to pilfer; to skelder. [Prov. Eng.& Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

To take or steal from a hoard; to pilfer. Milton.