Definition

1. Verb:
   • To steal: To take something that belongs to another person without their permission and with the intention of keeping it permanently.
   • To pilfer / to filch: To steal something, often of relatively small value, in a secretive manner.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Kẻ trộm đã lấy cắp ví của bà ấy trên xe buýt. (The thief stole her wallet on the bus.)
  • Đứa trẻ lấy cắp một cái kẹo từ trong hộp. (The child pilfered a candy from the box.)
  • Hắn bị bắt vì lấy cắp tiền từ công ty. (He was arrested for stealing money from the company.)

Advanced Usage

• The verb "lấy cắp" inherently implies a secretive, dishonest act. It is more specific and accusatory than the neutral verb "lấy" (to take).
• It is commonly used in legal, journalistic, and everyday contexts to describe theft.

Variants and Related Words

• Ăn cắp (v): to steal. This is a very common synonym, slightly more colloquial.

  • Nó chuyên đi ăn cắp vặt ở chợ. (He specializes in petty theft at the market.)

• Trộm cắp (n): theft, stealing (as a general concept or crime).

  • Tội trộm cắp bị trừng trị nghiêm khắc. (The crime of theft is punished severely.)

Synonyms

• Steal: The most general and direct equivalent.
• Pilfer: To steal things of small value, especially in small quantities.
• Filch: To steal something small or of little value, often in a quick, sneaky way.
• Purloin: A more formal term for stealing.

Related Idioms

• Lấy cắp như rồng cuốn: To steal very skillfully and completely (like a coiling dragon). This idiom emphasizes a masterful, thorough theft.
  • Bọn trộm vào nhà lấy cắp như rồng cuốn. (The thieves broke into the house and stole everything skillfully and completely.)