theft

[theft] /θɛft/

noun

the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny.

an instance of this.

Archaic. something stolen.

Origin

before 900; Middle English; Old English thēfth, thēofth; see thief, -th¹; cognate with Old Norse thȳfth, obsolete Dutch diefte

Related forms

antitheft, adjective

Examples from the web for theft

These examples both describe the theft of intellectual or creative labor.
Preventing car theft may have precipitated a reduction in other crimes.
Admittedly, newspaper theft ranks low on the scale of evil acts.
Shover received the felony charge as this was his fifth retail theft offense.
Tiny identification dots are being sprayed on cars, cameras and other valuables to combat theft.
Further, any theft of seed by corporations is an overarching crime on all its fronts.
He was arrested and charged with retail theft and public drunkenness.
Wal-Mart says the tags will help reduce theft and counterfeiting, the latter particularly affecting prescription medicines.
Don't keep the flash drive in the computer case, in case of theft.
So there's nothing wrong with calling this exploitation, or to be more precise, theft.

British Dictionary definitions for theft

theft

/θɛft/

noun

(criminal law) the dishonest taking of property belonging to another person with the intention of depriving the owner permanently of its possession

(rare) something stolen

Derived Forms

theftless, adjective

Word Origin

Old English thēofth; related to Old Norse thӯfth, Old Frisian thiūvethe, Middle Dutch düfte; see thief

Word Origin and History for theft

Old English þeofð (West Saxon þiefð), from Proto-Germanic *theubitho (cf. Old Frisian thiufthe, Old Norse þyfð), from *theubaz "thief" (see thief) + suffix -itha (cognate with Latin -itatem).

theft in the Bible

Punished by restitution, the proportions of which are noted in 2 Sam. 12:6. If the thief could not pay the fine, he was to be sold to a Hebrew master till he could pay (Ex. 22:1-4). A night-thief might be smitten till he died, and there would be no blood-guiltiness for him (22:2). A man-stealer was to be put to death (21:16). All theft is forbidden (Ex. 20:15; 21:16; Lev. 19:11; Deut. 5:19; 24:7; Ps. 50:18; Zech. 5:3; Matt. 19:18; Rom. 13:9; Eph. 4:28; 1 Pet. 4:15).