ขโมย

Explanation

ขโมย works as both a verb and a noun. As a verb, it commonly appears as ขโมย + the thing stolen, such as ขโมยเงิน “steal money,” ขโมยของ “steal things,” and ขโมยโทรศัพท์ “steal a phone.” The victim is often shown through possession, such as ของฉัน “my” or ของเขา “his/her.” As a noun, ขโมย by itself means “thief,” and the classifier for counting such people is คน.

Usage

It is commonly used when talking about theft, police reports, news, warnings, or everyday situations like “my wallet was stolen” or “someone stole something.” It can also be used for intangible things, such as data or ideas taken without permission.

Caution

For simply “lose something,” use ทำหาย. ขโมย implies that someone stole it. Calling a person ขโมย is a serious accusation, so avoid using it without clear reason.

1 steal synonyms

• ลัก

  lák steal

  ลัก also means “to steal,” and often sounds a bit more formal or legal. ขโมย is the more common everyday word for “steal.”

• แอบ

  ɛ̀ɛp secretly

  แอบ means “to do something secretly” and does not necessarily involve stealing. ขโมย specifically means taking something wrongfully.

2 thief synonyms

• โจร

  coon thief

  โจร can refer more broadly to a criminal, robber, or bandit. ขโมย specifically means a person who steals and is common in everyday speech.