as in to steal
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep
the studio stepped up security, fearing that someone might attempt to purloin a copy of the script for the show's season finale
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Recent Examples of purloin
And when purloined Democratic National Committee emails were leaked just ahead of the Democratic National Convention, Putin did not hide his glee.
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Nathan Hodge, CNN, 5 Sep. 2024
For years, Huawei had been building up its research capacity, trying to shed its reputation as a low-cost provider whose tech came from purloining the discoveries of others.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 16 Nov. 2020
In 2022-23, before its richest teams were purloined by other power conferences, the average public Pac-12 athletic department spent $130.8 million and earned $121.5 million in revenue.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Almost all of it was hearsay, rather than purloined documents.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2017
See All Example Sentences for purloin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purloin
steal
Verb
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Maia’s horrified to realize that the bag was stolen; Tallulah’s mostly just annoyed she got caught.—
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Before his imprisonment, Chacón was arrested in 2024 on a domestic violence charge and, in 2025, was accused of stealing merchandise at a Walmart.—
Cite this Entry
“Purloin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purloin. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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