PURLOINED Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

purloined

verb

past tense of purloin

as in stole

to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep the studio stepped up security, fearing that someone might attempt to purloin a copy of the script for the show's season finale

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of purloined The thieves also purloined a small double-sided painting, with the Virgin and Child on one side and Christ on the other, that the Sicilian regional government had bought from the auction house Christie's back in 2003. — Willem Marx, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026 While the fuel-oil tax-dodge is a relatively recent phenomenon, purloined Mexican fuel, known simply as huachicol, has circulated for decades. — Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 In 2017, administrators at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh were heartbroken to learn that hundreds of rare books, art prints and maps worth more than $8 million had been purloined from its rare books room. — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 15 July 2026 The world press was less restrained; the Post, the Daily Mail, the Hindustan Times, and many others ran screaming headlines, accompanied by photographs of the climbers purloined from social media. — William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 Your duty to intervene increases with the value of the object and the likelihood it will be purloined. — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purloined

Verb

Last month, burglars stole millions of dollars worth of jewelry from the museum of French luxury glassmaker Lalique in a daring early morning raid.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Smith allegedly stole the mother’s vehicle and left the home with the child.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of stole

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purloin

purloined

purloiner

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“Purloined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purloined. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of purloined

verb

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