Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

thief

/ˈθiːf/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.88 in modern English

Syllables: thief
IPA: /ˈθiːf/

11

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One who carries out a theft.

noun

One who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence.

noun

A waster in the snuff of a candle.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"water-thieves and land-thieves"
"Take heed to false harlots, and more, ye wot what. / If noise ye heare, / Looke all be cleare: / Least drabs doe noie thee, / And theeues destroie thee."
"But hear you, my Worthy Brethren: do not you, where you see a thief in the candle, call presently for an extinguisher[…]"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *þeubaz Proto-West Germanic *þeub Old English þēof Middle English thef English thief From Middle English thef, theef, þef, from Old English þēof, from Proto-West Germanic *þeub, from Proto-Germanic *þeubaz. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tjoof (“thief”), West Frisian tsjeaf (“thief”), Dutch dief (“thief”), Low German Deef, Deev (“thief”), German Dieb (“thief”), Danish tyv (“thief”), Swedish tjuv (“thief”), Icelandic þjófur (“thief”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: thef, þēof, *þeub, *þeubaz

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

thieves (plural) theef (alternative)

Derived Forms

cyberthief horsethief outfangthief spellthief thiefcraft thiefdom thiefess thiefhood thiefless thieflike thiefly thiefness

Phrases

a fair booty makes many a thief comparison is the thief of joy cricket thief spider horse thief joke thief joule thief liquor thief opportunity makes a thief

Frequently Paired Words

theft thieve deceiver steal

Synonyms

abstractor appropriator bagger booster borrower cribber faker filcher flogger heister larcener larcenist

Rhymes With

chief relief brief belief beef leaf grief reef disbelief motif sharif bas-relief

Questions

How do you pronounce thief?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈθiːf/.
What does thief mean?: One who carries out a theft.
Where does thief come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce thief

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “thief”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈθiːf/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “thief”.
Repeat and practice — Say “thief” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.