1
the thief stole sth
The thief stole a wallet from the store.
小偷从商店偷了一个钱包。
小偷；窃贼；盗贼
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
小偷；窃贼；盗贼
a person who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without force or violence
The thief stole a wallet from the store.
小偷从商店偷了一个钱包。
One who carries out a theft.
窃取他人财物并意图占为己有或出售的罪犯
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
One who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence.
A thief broke into our car last night and stole the radio.
昨晚一个小偷闯进我们的车，偷走了收音机。
The police caught the thieves who had been stealing bicycles in the park.
警察抓住了那些在公园里偷自行车的贼。
The thief must have entered through the kitchen window.
小偷一定是从厨房窗户进来的。
The thief stole a wallet from the store.
小偷从商店偷了一个钱包。
The police managed to catch the thief.
警察成功抓住了小偷。
Not this
He thiefed my wallet.
Use this
He stole my wallet.
汉语中“偷”可同时作名词和动词，但英语中 thief 仅为名词，表示“小偷”；表达“偷东西”的动作应用动词 steal。
Not this
There are many thiefs in the city.
Use this
There are many thieves in the city.
thief 的复数形式为不规则变化：将 -f 改为 -ves，即 thieves，而非直接加 -s。
Not this
He is thief.
Use this
He is a thief.
英语中可数名词单数形式前通常需要冠词 a/an 或 the；汉语没有冠词，易漏用。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
小偷小摸的人
The police arrested a petty thief who had been stealing from shops.
警察逮捕了一个一直在商店偷东西的小偷。
偷车贼
A car thief was caught trying to steal a luxury vehicle.
一名偷车贼在试图偷一辆豪华车时被抓获。
珠宝窃贼
The jewel thief managed to bypass the museum's security system.
珠宝窃贼成功绕过了博物馆的安保系统。
抓住小偷
Neighbors joined forces to catch the thief who had been breaking into cars.
邻居们合力抓住了一个一直撬车的小偷。
夜间小偷；突如其来之事
The burglary was like a thief in the night, leaving the family shocked.
这起入室盗窃如同夜间小偷，让那家人震惊不已。
疏于防范招来小偷
Leaving the door unlocked was a mistake, because opportunity makes a thief.
不锁门是个错误，因为疏于防范招来小偷。
亲密无间
The two boys have been thick as thieves since kindergarten.
这两个男孩从幼儿园起就形影不离。
盗亦有道
Even in the underworld, there is honour among thieves.
即使在黑道中，也讲究盗亦有道。
不速之客（指突然或偷偷出现的事物）
The opportunity came like a thief in the night, and I seized it.
机会如不速之客般突然降临，我抓住了它。
抓小偷！
The merchant shouted, "Stop, thief!" as the boy ran away with the bread.
商人喊道：“抓小偷！”那个男孩拿着面包跑走了。
一次做贼，终身是贼。
After his release from prison, people still distrusted him, saying "Once a thief, always a thief."
出狱后，人们仍然不信任他，说“一次做贼，终身是贼”。
Use thief naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
thief 读音类似“西服”，想象小偷偷了一件西服，记住这个画面。
语域：neutral 常见场景：日常对话、新闻报道、法律文书 ‘thief’通常为中性词，适用于各种正式与非正式场合。
可数名词，常用搭配：a thief（一个小偷）；复数形式：thieves。
Dictionary facts from DICTIONARY_API_DEV, ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.