shop-lifter

A shop-lifter hides a small item inside their coat.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who steals goods from a shop while pretending to be a customer. This is the core and only meaning of "shop-lifter".

Usage Examples

• (A person stealing from the store while acting like a shopper.)
• (Someone who committed theft from a retail establishment.)
• (Individuals who steal merchandise from stores.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be a known shop-lifter": to be recognized by store staff as someone who frequently steals.
  • The man was banned from the mall because he was a known shop-lifter. (He had a history of stealing from shops.)
• "to catch a shop-lifter red-handed": to apprehend a shop-lifter at the exact moment of theft.
  • The security guard caught the shop-lifter red-handed putting a watch into his pocket. (He was caught while committing the theft.)

Variants and Related Words

• Shop-lifting (noun): the act of stealing goods from a shop.
  • The store has installed cameras to prevent shop-lifting. (The act of stealing from shops.)
• Shop-lift (verb, rare): to steal goods from a shop.
  • He was caught trying to shop-lift a bottle of perfume. (To commit the act of theft from a store.)

Synonyms

• Thief: a person who steals, especially secretly.
• Shoplifter: a more common spelling variant (without the hyphen) of the same word.

Related Idioms

• "Caught in the act": discovered while committing a crime, often used for shop-lifters.
  • The shop-lifter was caught in the act by a security guard. (Found while stealing.)
• "Five-finger discount": a humorous or informal term for shoplifting.
  • He got his new shirt by using a five-finger discount. (He stole it from a store.)

Notes on Spelling and Usage

• The word is often written without a hyphen: shoplifter. Both spellings are correct, though "shoplifter" is more common in modern usage.
• This word is only used as a noun; it does not function as a verb. The verb form is "to shoplift" (without the hyphen).