CEFR C2

purloined

verb

Meaning

Taken dishonestly or stolen, often in a stealthy or surreptitious manner.

Examples

  • The clerk was fired after it was revealed he had purloined small amounts of cash from the register over several months.
  • The villain purloined the secret documents while the guards were distracted by the fire alarm.

Synonyms: stolen, pilfered, filched, embezzled