noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈʃɒplɪft/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:SH AA1 P L IH2 F T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A shoplifter.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
Examples
1704, John Dunton, The Athenian Oracle, Athenian Society, Volume III, page 67, [...] and indeed it seems a Hardship in our Laws, that a poor Shoplift shou′d be hang′d for breaking in and pilfering a few Goods, [...] .
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To steal something from a shop or store during business hours, usually by means of hiding merchandise.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To steal from shops / stores during trading hours.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
1969 October, Gwendolyn Midlo Hall, Mechanisms for Exploiting the Black Community, Negro Digest, 22, Thus, the teacher shook down the kids, the big kids shook down the little kids, the little kids shoplifted to get money, etc., etc.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
steal in a store
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: steal
History
Etymology
Back-formation from shoplifter.
Across languages
Translations
32 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Chinese Mandarin:
商店行竊 /商店行窃
(shāngdiàn xíngqiè)
— transitive: to steal something
Chinese Mandarin:
入店行竊 /入店行窃
(rùdiàn xíngqiè)
— transitive: to steal something
Chinese Mandarin:
店鋪盜竊 /店铺盗窃
(diànpù dàoqiè)
— transitive: to steal something
Chinese Mandarin:
商店偷竊 /商店偷窃
(shāngdiàn tōuqiè)
— transitive: to steal something
Finnish:
näpistää
— transitive: to steal something
French:
voler à l’étalage
— transitive: to steal something
German:
klauen
— transitive: to steal something
German:
stehlen
— transitive: to steal something
Hungarian:
ellop
— transitive: to steal something
Japanese:
万引きする
(manbiki suru)
— transitive: to steal something
Polish:
kraść w sklepie
— transitive: to steal something
Polish:
ukraść w sklepie
— transitive: to steal something
Spanish:
hurtar
— transitive: to steal something
Spanish:
ratear
— transitive: to steal something
Spanish:
shacar
— transitive: to steal something
Spanish:
furtar
— transitive: to steal something
Spanish:
percollar
— transitive: to steal something
Swedish:
snatta
— transitive: to steal something
Chinese Mandarin:
商店行竊 /商店行窃
(shāngdiàn xíngqiè)
— intransitive: to steal
Chinese Mandarin:
入店行竊 /入店行窃
(rùdiàn xíngqiè)
— intransitive: to steal
Chinese Mandarin:
店鋪盜竊 /店铺盗窃
(diànpù dàoqiè)
— intransitive: to steal
Chinese Mandarin:
商店偷竊 /商店偷窃
(shāngdiàn tōuqiè)
— intransitive: to steal
Finnish:
näpistää
— intransitive: to steal
French:
voler à l’étalage
— intransitive: to steal
German:
Ladendiebstahl begehen
— intransitive: to steal
Hungarian:
lop
— intransitive: to steal
Japanese:
万引きする
(manbiki suru)
— intransitive: to steal
