Definition

1. Adjective (used predicatively):
   • Stolen; having been stolen: Describes an item or property that has been taken unlawfully, typically without the owner's knowledge or consent, often in a context of stealth or theft during a moment of inattention.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Chiếc xe máy của tôi đã bị mất cắp. (My motorbike was stolen.)
  • Cô ấy phát hiện ví đã mất cắp khi về đến nhà. (She discovered her wallet was stolen when she got home.)
  • Khu vực này có nhiều vụ mất cắp. (There are many thefts in this area.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "mất cắp" functions as a predicative adjective and is almost always used with an auxiliary verb like bị (to suffer an action) to form the passive voice, indicating the state of having been stolen.
  • Điện thoại của anh ấy bị mất cắp trên xe buýt. (His phone got stolen on the bus.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ăn cắp (v): to steal (the action performed by the thief).

  • Tên trộm đó đã ăn cắp ví của bà cụ. (That thief stole the old woman's purse.)

• Trộm cắp (n): theft, larceny (the general act or crime).

  • Tội trộm cắp bị trừng trị nghiêm khắc. (Theft is punished severely.)

Synonyms

• Bị lấy trộm: to be stolen.
• Bị mất: to be lost (can imply theft, but is more general).

Related Idioms

• Ngơ ngác như người mất cắp: To look bewildered or dazed, like someone who has just been robbed. This idiom describes a state of confusion and shock.
  • Sau vụ va chạm, anh ta đứng ngơ ngác như người mất cắp. (After the collision, he stood there dazed, like someone who had just been robbed.)

adj

1. stolen