Meaning & use
stealer
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Meaning
nouncountablerare
Someone or something that takes what belongs to another, or that takes attention or credit, mostly seen in compounds.
Grammar: Rarely stands alone; thief is more usual, and stealer usually follows another word: a scene-stealer.
Patterns
- a stealer of something
- a scene-stealer
The shop owner called the boy a stealer of apples, but the word sounded odd.
The child actor was the great scene-stealer of the film.
In baseball, a fast runner may be a base stealer.
Word forms
| plural | stealers |
|---|
Common combinations
- scene-stealer
- The grandmother in the play was a true scene-stealer.
- base stealer
- The team signed a famous base stealer.
- stealer of hearts
- The poem calls spring a stealer of hearts.
- show-stealer
- The puppy was the show-stealer at the party.
- time stealer
- Notifications are a quiet time stealer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- thief
- Thief is the ordinary word for a person who steals, and it is far more common than stealer.
- robber
- Robber suggests force or threat against a person, while a stealer need not use any.
- pilferer
- Pilferer means someone who steals small things, often repeatedly.
- swindler
- Swindler steals by trickery, especially of money, rather than by taking physically.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: stealer or steeler?
stealer vs steeler
Steeler sounds the same but means a worker or maker connected with steel, and 'the Steelers' is a sports team.
Practice
The young actor was the film's biggest scene-___, drawing every eye.
Choose one answer.
A scene-stealer grabs attention from the other actors. The other nouns do not form this expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stealer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.