Difference Between
“Rob,” “Thief,” And “Steal”

>ROBBER OR THIEF

(N.)= THE PERSON
▪The robbers ran away from the police.
▪The thief took my laptop and cell phone.
▪”Give me all your money!” the robber said.
▪”The thieves were tall, white men who looked about 22 years old. One had brown hair and the other was blonde.”

>ROBBERY (N.) = THE EVENT
▪Police are investigating the robbery of the Main Street Bank.
▪”The robbery occurred at 4:30 PM.”
▪”Three employees were injured during the armed robbery.”
(an “armed robbery” means there were weapons – guns or knives)

>THEFT (N.) = THE EVENT OR THE CRIME (IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM)
▪”He was sentenced to eight years in prison for the theft of a motorcycle.”
▪”We immediately reported the theft to the police.”
▪”Ken was accused of identity theft.”

>ROB (V.) = THE ACTION
Often used in the past as robbed:
▪”Donald robbed a total of five supermarkets before being caught by the police.”
▪”My favorite pizza shop was robbed last month. Luckily, no one was hurt.”
▪”I was robbed at gunpoint while walking home from work.”

>STEAL / STOLEN (V.) = THE ACTION OF TAKING SOMETHING SPECIFIC
Steal is always used together with an object – the object that was taken.
▪”The thief stole a gold necklace from the woman’s bedroom.”
▪”Wendy’s wallet was stolen on the subway.”
▪”Jim was caught stealing money from his own company.”
▪”Rachel tried to steal Carla’s boyfriend.”