动词(verb):偷窃,行窃。指偷取他人财物的行为。
/θiːv/
The pickpocket would thieve from unsuspecting tourists in the crowded market.
那个扒手会在拥挤的市场里偷窃毫无防备的游客。
She discovered that someone had been thieving office supplies from the storage room for months.
她发现有人几个月来一直在从储藏室偷拿办公用品。
thieve 源自古英语 þēofian,意为"偷窃",与名词 thief(小偷)同根。其根源可追溯至原始日耳曼语 *þeubō,表示"偷"的概念。名词 thief 出现更早,动词 thieve 是从名词反向构词(back-formation)而来,在中古英语时期逐渐固定下来。