pilfer

Word family

pil·fer /ˈpɪlfə $ -ər/ verb [intransitiveI, transitiveT]

STEALto steal things that are not worth much, especially from the place where you work 〔尤指从工作的地方〕偷窃〔不很值钱的东西〕，小偷小摸

pilfer from

She was sacked after being caught pilfering from the till.

她被撞见在单位行窃，丢了饭碗。

—pilferer noun [countableC]

an office pilferer

办公室里小偷小摸的人

—pilfering noun [uncountableU]

Examples from the Corpus

pilfer• Stamp folders should be kept under lock and key to avoid pilfering.• Old Redface had his blanket pilfered again by Little Grey Wolf.• The kids had been pilfering apples from a farmer's orchard in Binghamton.• The farmer caught them pilfering apples from his orchard.• Bits of Meccano lay around waiting to be pilfered if I'd had the courage.• They pilfer lesser-known works, usually costing less than $ 300,000, to sell on the black market.• Once I even caught her pilfering some of my tip money to cover her own bill.• The villagers pilfered stones from ancient ruined cities to build their houses.

From Longman Business Dictionary

pilferpil·fer /ˈpɪlfə-ər/ verb [transitiveT]

to steal small amounts of things, or things that are not worth much, especially from an office, factory etc

An employee has been charged with pilfering a set of automobile wheels.

—pilfering noun [uncountableU]

Stationery stocks are running 15% below last year’s levels, mostly due to pilfering.

—pilferage noun [uncountableU]

Losses from employee pilferage are estimated at $8 billion.

Origin pilfer

(1300-1400) Old French pelfrer, from pelfre “stolen things”

pil·fer verb

Chinese