filch — to steal something, especially something small or of little value, in a sneaky way
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to steal something, especially something small or of little value, in a sneaky way
Pronunciation (IPA): /fɪltʃ/
Example Sentences
- The office worker was caught filching pens and paper clips for personal use.
- My little brother keeps filching french fries from my plate when I'm not paying attention.
- She managed to filch the last slice of pizza before anyone noticed it was gone.
filch
VERB[/fɪltʃ/]
to steal something, especially something small or of little value, in a sneaky way
The street kid filches an apple from the market stall when no one looks.
The witch did filch the magic switch!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Filch emerged in 16th-century English with uncertain etymology, possibly deriving from Old English 'filche' meaning 'hook' or 'staff'. The sense of stealth developed metaphorically from the image of snatching objects with a hook, eventually coming to mean stealing surreptitiously.
Breakdown
filche (hook, staff) → filch (to steal sneakily). The morphological shift from the nominal 'filche' to the verbal 'filch' reflects semantic extension from the physical tool to the action of taking something covertly.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The office worker was caught filching pens and paper clips for personal use.”
“My little brother keeps filching french fries from my plate when I'm not paying attention.”
“She managed to filch the last slice of pizza before anyone noticed it was gone.”
“The student was suspended for filching exam answers from the teacher's desk.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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