Collocation Dictionary
Common collocations with thief in American Collocation
thief
noun
countable
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.
These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
US
/θif/
frequently stealing things
determined
habitual
notorious
persistent
professional
prolific
Persistent thieves will spend time looking for things to steal.
hoping or trying to be
potential
would-be
Police are urging people in the village to lock their doors and deter would-be thieves.
minor
petty
For many years the building was used as a prison for petty thieves and criminals.
not planning to steal, but taking the opportunity to steal something
casual
opportunistic
Most burglaries are carried out by opportunistic thieves.
showing no sympathy
callous
heartless
ruthless
unrepentant
These heartless thieves are even returning to people they have already robbed before.
catch a thief
apprehend
arrest
catch
stop
They informed us that they had apprehended the thieves and located the vehicle.
make a thief decide not to steal
beat
deter
discourage
put off
thwart
Well lit areas deter car thieves.
band
bunch
gang
One night in January, a gang of thieves broke into the church and stole the statues.