Meaning & use
petty thieves
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“petty thieves” is a form of “petty thief”.
Meaning
nounplural
People who steal small items or small amounts of money, such as from shops, pockets or parked cars.
Grammar: Plural of petty thief: petty thieves operate in busy places.
Patterns
- petty thieves in somewhere
- petty thieves steal something
Tourists were warned that petty thieves work in the crowded market.
The shop installed cameras after a series of visits by petty thieves.
Petty thieves broke into several cars overnight and took loose change.
Word forms
| singular | petty thief |
|---|
Common combinations
- a gang of petty thieves
- A gang of petty thieves was caught outside the station.
- target of petty thieves
- Backpacks are an easy target of petty thieves.
- arrest petty thieves
- Police arrested two petty thieves on Friday.
- beware of petty thieves
- Visitors should beware of petty thieves near the main square.
- common petty thieves
- The loss was blamed on common petty thieves.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pickpockets
- Pickpockets steal specifically from people's pockets or bags, while petty thieves take many kinds of small things.
- shoplifters
- Shoplifters steal only from stores, so the word is narrower than petty thieves.
- burglars
- Burglars break into buildings and often take valuable goods, so their crime is more serious than petty theft.
Word family
Commonly confused: petty thieves or robbers?
petty thieves vs robbers
Robbers use force or threats to take things from people, while petty thieves usually avoid direct contact.
Practice
The tourist guide warned us about ____ who take wallets in crowded places.
Choose one answer.
Petty thieves steal small items such as wallets. The other groups do not fit the idea of small-scale theft.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “petty thieves”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.