as in stole
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep
what sort of person would pilfer lunches from the office refrigerator?
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Recent Examples of pilfered
Tyler Cordeiro first pilfered Jannotta’s prescription pills as a teenager.
—
Craig R. McCoy, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
Tyler Cordeiro first pilfered Jannotta’s prescription pills as a teenager.
—Craig R. McCoy, ProPublica, 23 Apr. 2026
Many of the things that happen in this film have happened for real, and they’re pilfered from actual F1 events.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 1 Mar. 2026
As when just standing in the Mingus Quick Stop parking lot and squinting down the street at lifting dust while overhearing from within the most mysterious conversation about missing Little Debbie Honey Buns—not stolen, gradually pilfered, but just missing.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Wednesday brings the Rule 5 Draft, when eligible prospects can be selected by any of the 30 teams and effectively pilfered from rival organizations.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
The tokens were pilfered from the LuBian Bitcoin mining pool in December 2020.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025
This is not the first time public art has been pilfered in San Jose.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
Every detail is pilfered from the lives of people around me, or from my own.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
Craig R. McCoy, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
Tyler Cordeiro first pilfered Jannotta’s prescription pills as a teenager.
—Craig R. McCoy, ProPublica, 23 Apr. 2026
Many of the things that happen in this film have happened for real, and they’re pilfered from actual F1 events.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 1 Mar. 2026
As when just standing in the Mingus Quick Stop parking lot and squinting down the street at lifting dust while overhearing from within the most mysterious conversation about missing Little Debbie Honey Buns—not stolen, gradually pilfered, but just missing.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Wednesday brings the Rule 5 Draft, when eligible prospects can be selected by any of the 30 teams and effectively pilfered from rival organizations.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
The tokens were pilfered from the LuBian Bitcoin mining pool in December 2020.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025
This is not the first time public art has been pilfered in San Jose.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
Every detail is pilfered from the lives of people around me, or from my own.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pilfered
Verb
-
That Derby was won by War Emblem, a small-boned speedball who stole the race on the front end after having been sold by his geriatric owner to Saudi Arabian Prince Ahmed bin Salman for $900,000 three weeks before.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The Marlins opened the scoring in the second inning when Agustin Ramirez was hit on the left wrist by a pitch, stole second, advanced to third on an Ohtani throwing error and scored on a sacrifice fly from Caissie.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The 22-year-old center fielder swiped a career-high four bases in yet another busy day in low Single-A Lake Elsinore’s 13-6 win over visiting Visalia on Thursday.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Charlotte Tilbury Products Used on Emily Blunt Makeup artist Jenn Streicher swiped Emily Blunt’s lashes with the Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara for the world premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pilfered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pilfered. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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