steal

The word "steal" describes taking something that belongs to another person without their permission, usually secretly and wrongly. Most often, it refers to property such as money, food, clothes, or a car, but it can also be used for less physical things, such as data, credit for an idea, or someone's attention.

You will often see it in everyday stories: someone might steal a wallet, a shoplifter might steal from a store, or a hacker might steal personal data. The word can also appear in figurative expressions. A singer can steal the show by being the most impressive person on stage, and a kind smile can steal your heart. In these cases, nothing is literally taken, but the idea is still that something is gained in a sudden or powerful way.

There is also an older, literary use where something quiet seems to move slowly or gently. You might read that a smile stole across someone's face, or that evening stole over the town. This use is much less common in daily speech, but it still appears in stories and descriptive writing.

In most situations, steal carries a clear sense of wrongdoing. It suggests that someone took what was not theirs and did so without consent. Because of that, it is a strong word, whether you are talking about a crime, a playful animal taking food, or a performance so good that it seems to take all the attention in the room.