Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To steal (a small amount or item). See Synonyms at steal.
- v. To steal or filch.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To steal in small quantities; practise petty theft.
- To steal or gain by petty theft; filch.
Wiktionary
- v. To steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to practise petty theft.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to practice petty theft.
- v. To take by petty theft; to filch; to steal little by little.
WordNet 3.0
- v. make off with belongings of others
Etymologies
- From Middle English pilfre ("booty"), from Old French pelfre ("plunder, booty, spoils"), of unknown origin. Possibly related to pelf. (Wiktionary)
- From Middle English pilfre, spoils, from Old French pelfre. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“If I had wanted to 'pilfer' your correspondence, which was with me for some ten years, would it not have been easier (and more discreet) for me to make photocopies of the letters I wanted to keep and send you back all your originals intact?”
“First Sailosi Tagicakibau fumbled a difficult pass 10 yards out with three blue shirts around him and only one red one in front before George Stowers got to the line, but could not get the ball down, leaving Shane Williams to somehow pilfer the ball from the pile of bodies which piled on the No8.”
The Guardian: Rugby World Cup 2011: Wales survive scare against Samoa
“I can't tell you what a relief it will be to just throw away my plastic water bottles (made from petroleum products -- who cares now?) instead of tossing them into recycling for some homeless guy to pilfer.”
“Perhaps he was trying to pilfer as much as possible before conceding.”
“Police say that during his first offense, Calandrella used keys stolen from lock boxes to pilfer more than 50 items, which he promptly listed on eBay, KSDK reports.”
“As Devin describes, Leonardo DiCaprio plays an Extractor, which is essentially an agent that can insert himself into the dreams of other people, in order to pilfer ideas from their subconscious.”
“Sure, it was funny to confuse Mabe the Shopkeeper and pilfer his wares.”
“It's illegal under U.S. law to steal corporate secrets from other companies, and there is less incentive for U.S. companies to pilfer from countries that are less developed.”
“Yes, the classic Yuletide punchline confection is what the fortunate 600 who have been invited to the wedding luncheon reception of the century will have to force down at the end of the event before they attempt to pilfer the flower arrangements on their tables to take home.”
The Huffington Post: Meredith C. Carroll: New Royal Wedding Details Unveiled
“Police come in and grab every pilfer-able item they can.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘pilfer’.
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Test Prep or Just for fun
Building a list for standardized test prep or just for learning some new words! Please add any words that you feel are important for the SAT/GRE/GMAT etc...
throng, morass, parley, facile, kismet, strife, jetsam, carrion, annex, harbinger, vestige, surreptitious and 575 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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henryar's list
marmoleum, menagerie, cyan, ochre, pilfer, discombobulate, loquacious, iridescent, amethyst, derelict, botulism, equilibrium and 240 more...
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UK - slang
fanny, nick, mufti, siphon, mug, smashing, butcher, stick up, knocker, porridge, tit, punter and 208 more...
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#faveword
Words chosen as favorites for the Twitter hashtag #faveword.
autumnal, grotto, chiaroscuro, sfumato, homunculus, zing, zest, effervescent, bewitch, avuncular, susurrus, Styrofoam and 205 more...
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Words For Novel (Part 2)
fable, sprite, syphilitic, anvil, wonderstruck, vertigo, bridled, tufted, fettered, savvy, tweed fedora, tryst and 255 more...
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truman486's list
Masterbatory Aids
ensorcelled, scintilla, maudlin, lugubrious, frisson, praxis, copasetic, crotch, corollary, bandy, undulating, anthropomorphic and 65 more...
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Lying, cheating, and stealing
subterfuge, chicanery, skulduggery, pilfer, purloin, bamboozle, bilk, gyp, hoodwink, swindle, hoax, dupe and 28 more...
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Phonetically Fun
spittoon, cartouche, baboon, squeeze, bamboozle, pojoaque, pilfer, zamboni, elasticity, pantaloon, oodles, bejesus and 6 more...
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gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1824 more...
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dharma66's list
words that pique my interest either by meaning, pronunciation, or spelling, and words that otherwise tickle my fancy!!
pique, elusive, serendipity, nefarious, redundant, pseudoscientific, obsequious, flack, quandary, impervious, perchance, translucent and 168 more...
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Words I'd Like to Use Someday
thundersnow, phantasmagoria, mercurial, chimerical, taciturn, paraclete, lapis lazuli, flay, guttersnipe, wonky, misanthrope, kestrel and 583 more...
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Stumbled Words
A list of words that I stumbled upon while reading.
penumbra, prolix, propitious, resplendence, sepulchral, Weltschmerz, apparition, brigand, probity, chalice, paroxysm, pallor and 160 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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Vocab++
Words as I learn them.
fetid, mezzanine, hiatus, austerity, subliminal, resplendent, implacable, impugn, debase, exiguous, cirque, holster and 2538 more...
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SAT PSAT ALPHABETICAL P
pacifistic, pacify, palatable, palaver, palliate, pallid, palpable, pamper, panacea, pandemic, pandemonium, panegyric and 209 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for pilfer.

oroboros Reflip in reverse. Jul 22, 2007