English Meaning & Definitions
The criminal act of unlawfully taking a domestic animal from its owner, often for the purpose of resale, ransom, or illegal breeding.
- “The local police department has launched a task force to address the rising number of pet theft cases in the neighborhood.”
- “Many owners are microchipping their dogs as a precaution against pet theft.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “pet theft”.
A compound noun formed from 'pet' (from the 16th-century Scottish 'pet', meaning a tamed animal) and 'theft' (from the Old English 'thēofth', meaning the act of stealing). The term emerged in modern legal and journalistic contexts to distinguish the specific crime of stealing a companion animal from general larceny or property theft.
Think of a 'pet' being 'theft'ed away from its home.
Frequently Asked Questions About “pet theft”
1. What is the meaning of “pet theft” in English?
In English, pet theft (noun) is defined as: “The criminal act of unlawfully taking a domestic animal from its owner, often for the purpose of resale, ransom, or illegal breeding.”.
2. How do you use “pet theft” in a sentence?
“The local police department has launched a task force to address the rising number of pet theft cases in the neighborhood.”
3. What are English synonyms of “pet theft”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “pet theft”?
A compound noun formed from 'pet' (from the 16th-century Scottish 'pet', meaning a tamed animal) and 'theft' (from the Old English 'thēofth', meaning the act of stealing). The term emerged in modern legal and journalistic contexts to distinguish the specific crime of stealing a companion animal from general larceny or property theft.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.