What does "pilfer" mean?

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

What is a synonym for "pilfer"?

Common synonyms include: abstract, abstract, abuse, and, annex, appropriate.

//ˈpɪl.fɚ// verb

verb ·Moderate ·College level

Verb

1
To steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to practise petty theft. ambitransitive
"pilfer goods"
2
make off with belongings of others wordnet

"It is my intention to plunder and pilfer my weasely guts out."

From earlier pilfre, from Middle English pilfre (“booty”), from Old French pelfre (“plunder, booty, spoils”), of unknown origin. Compare pelf.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.