You searched for: “pilfered”
pilfer (verb), pilfers; pilfered, pilfering
To steal articles of small value or to steal in small quantities: Dina was pilfering paper, writing pens, and pencils from her work place; and as a result, she was fired.

Big-time thieves aren’t interested in small amounts of money; so, they don’t pilfer because they are not petty thieves.

There was a magazine article titled "Pilfering Priests" about some clergy of the Catholic Church who were stealing money from their parishes; and in one parish, it was found that $8.6 million dollars was misappropriated over a period of 42 years. Is it appropriate for the title to be published as "Pilfering Priests" when such large sums of money were being stolen?

There was one survey in which 85% of the dioceses reported embezzlement cases; 11% of which had grand thefts of $500,000 or more. We need to remember that grand theft is not synonymous with pilfering.

—Compiled from information located in an article titled,
"Pilfering Priests" by Tim Padgett; Time;
February 26, 2007; pages 46 & 47.
To steal small items or quantities.
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To take articles of little value.
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This entry is located in the following unit: English Words in Action, Group P (page 2)