stolen

stolen — verb

1. taken from a person or place without permission and without the intention of ret

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

taken from a person or place without permission and without the intention of returning it — used as the past participle of 'steal' to form perfect tenses ('has stolen', 'had stolen') or in passive structures ('was stolen', 'got stolen'). Also used before nouns to describe things that have been taken illegally, such as stolen cars, stolen wallets, or stolen identity details.

Example

Someone has stolen Felix's wallet from his jacket while he was on the train.

present perfect active: has stolen [something]

The painting was stolen from the museum during the night by two men in masks.

passive: be + stolen (by someone)

Common collocations
  • stolen goods
  • stolen car
  • stolen property
  • stolen identity
  • stolen wallet
  • stolen money
  • stolen art
  • stolen moments
  • stolen glances
  • stolen kiss
  • stolen valor
  • recover stolen property
Synonyms
  • taken

    more general — 'taken' does not imply illegality, while 'stolen' always does

  • swiped

    informal, often for small or quick thefts ('Someone swiped my pen')

  • lifted

    informal British term, often for shoplifting ('He lifted a CD from the store')

  • pinched

    informal British slang ('Who pinched my sandwich?')

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

have/has/had + stolen (something)

something + be + stolen (by someone)

get + something + stolen

Usage Note

As a past participle, 'stolen' is only used with an auxiliary verb (has/had/was/were/get) or as an adjective before a noun. It never stands alone as a finite verb — you cannot say 'She stolen my bag'; the correct form is 'She stole my bag' (past simple) or 'She has stolen my bag' (present perfect). The adjectival use before nouns is extremely common: stolen car, stolen goods, stolen identity.

Common Mistakes

He has stolen the money last week.
He stole the money last week.
Present perfect (has stolen) cannot be used with a specific past time like 'last week'; use past simple instead.
She stolen my phone.
She stole my phone.' or 'She has stolen my phone.
'Stolen' needs an auxiliary verb (has/had/was). Without an auxiliary, use the past simple form 'stole'.
I got steal my bag.
I got my bag stolen.
In the causative pattern 'get something stolen', the participle 'stolen' must directly follow the object.
Idioms

stolen goods

idiom

items that have been taken illegally and are often sold secretly to avoid detection

The shopkeeper was arrested for buying stolen goods from a known thief.

stolen valor

idiom

the act of falsely claiming military awards, medals, or combat experience that one did not earn

The senator was accused of stolen valor after it emerged he had never served in the army.

Word family

  • steal
    verbA2
  • thief
    nounA2
  • theft
    nounB1
  • stealth
    nounB2
  • stealthy
    adjectiveC1
  • stealer
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words relate to the removal of property, but they differ in scope and grammar. Stolen signals that the removal was illegal and without consent — it specifically describes the item that was taken (a stolen car, stolen money). Taken is broader and neutral: you can take a book from a library legally or take a cookie from a jar. Robbed focuses on the victim or the place, not the item — 'the bank was robbed' or 'she was robbed at knifepoint.' Burgled specifically refers to a building being entered illegally to steal — 'their flat was burgled while they were on holiday.' Unlike stolen, which modifies the stolen object, robbed and burgled mostly describe the crime scene or the victim. For example: 'The stolen painting was recovered' (focus on the painting), but 'the gallery was robbed last night' (focus on the place).

stolen ↗taken ↗robbedburgled

Common collocations

Nouns

  • stolen goods
  • stolen property
  • stolen car
  • stolen identity
  • stolen wallet
  • stolen art
  • stolen moments

Adverbs

  • allegedly stolen
  • reportedly stolen
  • recently stolen

Phrases

  • recover stolen property
  • fence stolen goods
  • report something stolen

Prepositions

  • stolen from
  • stolen by

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'stolen' comes from Old English 'stolen', the past participle of 'stelan' (to steal). It goes back to Proto-Germanic '*stelaną', which is related to similar forms in other Germanic languages (Old High German 'gistolan', Old Norse 'stolinn'). The core meaning of taking something secretly and without permission has remained stable for over 1,500 years.