Pronunciation: /ˈpɪlfər/

Definitions of pilfer

noun the act of stealing small amounts or items

Example Sentences

A1 I heard that there was a pilfer at the store last night.

A2 The pilfer of the jewels was reported to the police immediately.

B1 The company suffered a significant loss due to the pilfer of sensitive information.

B2 The pilfer of valuable artifacts from the museum shocked the community.

C1 The investigation revealed a sophisticated pilfer operation within the organization.

C2 The mastermind behind the pilfer scheme was finally apprehended by authorities.

verb to steal (typically things of relatively little value)

Example Sentences

A1 The cat pilfered a piece of fish from the kitchen.

A2 The pickpocket was caught pilfering wallets in the crowded market.

B1 Employees were warned not to pilfer office supplies for personal use.

B2 The art thief managed to pilfer a valuable painting from the museum.

C1 The hacker attempted to pilfer sensitive information from the company's database.

C2 The spy was able to pilfer top secret documents from the government agency.

Examples of pilfer in a Sentence

formal The employee was caught attempting to pilfer money from the company's safe.

informal I heard someone tried to pilfer snacks from the break room.

slang He's always trying to pilfer my stuff when he comes over.

figurative The politician was known to pilfer votes in order to secure his position.

Grammatical Forms of pilfer

past tense

pilfered

plural

pilfers

comparative

more pilfering

superlative

most pilfering

present tense

pilfers

future tense

will pilfer

perfect tense

has pilfered

continuous tense

is pilfering

singular

pilfer

positive degree

pilfer

infinitive

to pilfer

gerund

pilfering

participle

pilfering

Origin and Evolution of pilfer

First Known Use: 1548 year
Language of Origin: Old French
Story behind the word: The word 'pilfer' originated from the Old French word 'pelfrer', which meant to plunder or steal.
Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'pilfer' has retained its meaning of stealing, but it is now often used in a more lighthearted or less serious context compared to its earlier connotations of plundering.