French word

dérober

Pronunciation

IPA/deʁobe/

Meaning

  • verbsteal

Example

On m'a dérobé mon portefeuille hier.

My wallet was stolen yesterday.

Illustration for dérober (steal)

More examples

Il s'est fait dérober son sac dans le métro.

He had his bag stolen in the subway.

Core concept

A hand quietly removing an object from another person's belongings.

Common phrases

  • se faire dérober

    have something stolen

  • dérober un sac

    steal a bag

  • dérober une montre

    steal a watch

Similar words

voler: To take another person's property without permission and keep it.
piquer: To secretly take a small item, in informal speech.
chiper: To quietly take someone's belongings without being noticed, colloquially.

Definition in French

Emporter clandestinement la chose d'une autre personne sans son consentement.

Word origin

Dérober comes from Old French desrober, formed with des- and rober, a verb borrowed from a Germanic source related to English rob.

Usage tips

  • Dérober is more formal or literary than voler in everyday speech, where voler commonly means to steal.

Other meanings

  • pilferverb

Opposites

Related words

  • dérobéstolenadjective

Word lists with this word