Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

thieve

/θiːv/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.66 in modern English

Syllables
thieve
IPA
/θiːv/
12
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To commit theft.

Intransitive verb

Etymology

From Middle English *theven [found in Middle English thevinge (“thieving”)], from Old English þēofian, ġeþēofian, ġeþīefian (“to thieve, steal”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *theven, þēofian

Usage

Inflected Forms

thieves (present, singular) thieving (participle, present) thieved (participle, past) thieved (past)

Derived Forms

thievable thiever thievious

Phrases

thieve out

Frequently Paired Words

theft theftable thief thieve out thievery thieving

Synonyms

steal rob hook snitch cop knock off glom

Homonyms

theave

Rhymes With

believe leave we've receive steve achieve eve sleeve relieve naive perceive retrieve

Questions

How do you pronounce thieve?
The recorded pronunciation is /θiːv/.
What does thieve mean?
To commit theft.
Where does thieve come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce thieve

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