THIEF, noun plural thieves. 1. One who secretly, unlawfully and feloniously takes the goods or personal property of another. The thief takes the property of another privately; the robber by open force. 2. One who takes the property of another wrongfully, either secretly or by violence. Job 30:5. 3. One who seduces by false doctrine. John 10:1. 4. One who makes it his business to cheat and defraud; as a den of thieves. Matthew 21:1. 5. An excrescence in the snuff of a candle.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI