thieves

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of thief.

   A gang of thieves stripped the empty house of its copper wiring.

   The museum doubled its security after thieves made off with two paintings.

   Note

   The final f of thief turns to v before the plural ending, the same alternation seen in leaf and leaves or wife and wives. The spelling is shared with the present-tense verb: "the thieves" names people, while "she thieves" names an act. In older writing, thieves can also mean wasters in the snuff of a candle, an obsolete use far from robbery.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of thieve.

   The old fox thieves chickens from the farm under cover of darkness.

   Whenever the market is crowded, that boy thieves whatever he can reach.

   Note

   The verb behind this form, thieve, can stand without an object (he thieves for a living) and has a somewhat literary flavor. In everyday English, steal has largely taken its place. Unlike the plural noun, this form takes a singular subject: she thieves, but they thieve.

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