Definition

1. Verb:

   • To steal, to burgle: To take someone else's property secretly and without permission, often while they are not present or aware.
   • To do something secretly / furtively: To perform an action (like looking, listening, reading) in a hidden, covert manner without the knowledge of others.

2. Noun:

   • Thief, burglar: A person who steals, especially one who enters a building illegally to do so.

Usage Examples

• Verb (to steal):
  • Kẻ gian đã trộm chiếc xe máy của tôi. (A villain stole my motorbike.)
  • Cửa hàng bị trộm vào ban đêm. (The shop was burgled at night.)
• Verb (to do secretly):
  • Cậu bé đọc trộm nhật ký của chị gái. (The boy secretly read his sister's diary.)
  • Họ nói trộm sau lưng sếp. (They talk secretly behind the boss's back.)
• Noun (thief):
  • Cảnh sát vừa bắt được tên trộm. (The police just caught the thief.)

Advanced Usage

• "trộm nghĩ" / "trộm nghe": A formal or literary expression used to humbly introduce one's own thought or a piece of hearsay, translating to "I dare think that..." or "I have heard it said that...".
  • Tôi trộm nghĩ rằng phương án này khả thi hơn. (I dare think that this plan is more feasible.)
  • Tôi trộm nghe nói ông ấy sắp nghỉ hưu. (I have heard it said that he is about to retire.)
• "trộm vía": A common folk expression said to ward off bad luck, especially when complimenting a young child's health or appearance. It has no direct translation but implies "knock on wood" or "touch wood".
  • Bé trộm vía rất ngoan và khỏe mạnh. (The child, touch wood, is very well-behaved and healthy.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ăn trộm (v/n): To steal; a thief. This is a very common synonym.
  • Tên ăn trộm bị bắt quả tang. (The thief was caught red-handed.)
• Trộm cắp (n): Theft, stealing (as a general concept or activity).
  • Tội trộm cắp bị phạt rất nặng. (The crime of theft is punished severely.)
• Trộm nhớ thầm yêu: To love someone secretly, from afar.

Synonyms

• Verb: To steal, to pilfer, to burgle, to swipe, to filch.
• Noun: Thief, burglar, robber, pilferer.

Related Idioms

• Chân ướt chân ráo: (Literally: one foot wet, one foot dry) Used to describe a thief who is caught immediately upon entering or just after committing a crime.
  • Tên trộm bị bắt ngay khi vừa đột nhập, đúng là chân ướt chân ráo. (The burglar was caught right after breaking in, caught in the very act.)

verb

1. to steal, to burgle