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Thief vs Embezzle - What's the difference?

thief | embezzle |

As a noun thief

is one who has carried out a theft.

As a verb embezzle is

(legal|business) to steal or misappropriate money that one has been trusted with, especially to steal money from the organisation for which one works.

thief

English

Noun

(thieves)
  • One who has carried out a theft.
  • (obsolete) A waster in the snuff of a candle.
  • (Bishop Hall)

    Hyponyms

    * burglar * cat burglar * mugger * robber * pickpocket

    Derived terms

    * *

    embezzle

    English

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • (legal, business) To steal or misappropriate money that one has been trusted with, especially to steal money from the organisation for which one works.
  • * 1903, , Twelve Stories and a Dream
  • You waste your education in burglary. You should do one of two things. Either you should forge or you should embezzle'. For my own part, I ' embezzle .
  • * 1861,
  • You let Dunsey have it, sir? And how long have you been so thick with Dunsey that you must collogue with him to embezzle my money?

    Synonyms

    * defalcate * misappropriate * peculate

    Derived terms

    * embezzler * embezzlement

    References