pilfering 1 of 2

Definition of pilferingnext

pilfering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pilfer

Example Sentences

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 pilfering
Verb
Prosecutors said Pildes defrauded attendees and small business owners alike, pilfering funds to pay for extensive renovations on a lakefront property in New Jersey, concert tickets, luxury getaways, Michelin star meals and a sports car. Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026 Season 5, meanwhile, has noticeably flattened its ensemble, leaning on simplistic personality traits and pilfering from previous arcs. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025 Earlier this week the company filed a lawsuit against a group of data-scraping companies for allegedly pilfering its content and selling it to Perplexity. Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025 And not the two sets of federal indictments against him for pilfering classified documents and then refusing to return them and for defrauding the United States. Jeff Robbins, Oc Register, 20 Oct. 2025 Seven people are locked up for running a theft ring that included pilfering more than $800,000 in smoke detectors from Home Depot stores across Florida — including Miami-Dade, according to Attorney General James Uthmeier. Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025 This, above, was the first of Naeher’s career on her 200th NWSL outing, pilfering a 3-3 draw (from three down, on the road) against Seattle Reign. Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pilfering
Verb
  • Officials say the ring targeted vulnerable residents by forging documents, stealing personal information about the real owners and arranging the sales of the properties.
    Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
  • There's a long way to go before the season gets here and stealing the spotlight on Thursday night during the draft doesn’t guarantee anything.
    Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Plus, as Bon Appétit reported in 2023, some employees are on board with your shoplifting.
    Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Why wring our hands about shoplifting when it’s been accounted for?
    Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • According to DeMaio, police began investigating Orsini, the former executive director of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce, in June 2025 in connection with accusations of fraud and embezzlement.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
  • The sites mix factual assertions about their targets with unsubstantiated conspiracies and defamatory claims of misconduct ranging from extortion and embezzlement to drug dealing and prostitution.
    Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • At a news conference on Monday announcing Lawhead’s arrest, Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire said his office will file a charge of murder against Lawhead, along with two special circumstance allegations for killing Wanner during the commission of rape and kidnapping.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
  • The extended narrative emerges after federal prosecutors announced robbery and kidnapping charges in the case this week, nearly two months after the incident made headlines.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Noun
  • The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations also issued a statement reporting a hijacking incident off the Somali coast.
    ABC News, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Google says that any site that uses back button hijacking should spend the next two months eliminating the practice.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Some have traveled farther as part of colonial-era collections — as far as the British Museum — and been returned; a story unto itself about the plundering of the natural world in the age of empire, and institutions reckoning with their inheritance.
    Tom Page, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Living through the aftermath of Rome’s plundering in 410 by the Visigoths, Augustine keenly appreciated the fact that empires come and go.
    Brett Whalen, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Gastineau raises several claims, including breach of contract and misappropriation of his NIL.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Jurors in that case were told about the Lion Air misappropriation.
    Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Pilfering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pilfering. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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