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stolen |
3 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Steal \Steal\, v. t. [imp. {Stole}; p. p. {Stolen}; p. pr & vb n. {Stealing}.] [OE. stelen, AS stelan; akin to OFries stela, D. stelen, OHG. stelan, G. stehlen Icel. stela, SW stj["a]la, Dan. sti[ae]le, Goth. stilan.] 1. To take and carry away feloniously; to take without right or leave and with intent to keep wrongfully; as to steal the personal goods of another. Maugre thy heed, thou must for indigence Or steal, or borrow, thy dispense. --Chaucer. The man who stole a goose and gave away the giblets in ?lms. --G. Eliot. 2. To withdraw or convey clandestinely (reflexive); hence to creep furtively, or to insinuate. They could insinuate and steal themselves under the same by their humble carriage and submission. --Spenser. He will steal himself into a man's favor. --Shak. 3. To gain by insinuating arts or covert means So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. --2 Sam. xv 6. 4. To get into one's power gradually and by imperceptible degrees; to take possession of by a gradual and imperceptible appropriation; -- with away Variety of objects has a tendency to steal away the mind from its steady pursuit of any subject. --I. Watts. 5. To accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner; to try to carry out secretly; as to steal a look Always when thou changest thine opinion or course, profess it plainly, . . . and do not think to steal it --Bacon. {To steal a march}, to march in a covert way to gain an advantage unobserved; -- formerly followed by of but now by on or upon and sometimes by over as to steal a march upon one's political rivals. She yesterday wanted to steal a march of poor Liddy. --Smollett. Fifty thousand men can not easily steal a march over the sea. --Walpole. Syn: To filch; pilfer; purloin; thieve. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Stolen \Stol"en\, p. p. of {Steal}. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: stolen adj : taken dishonestly; "the purloined letter" [syn: {purloined}]
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