shoplifting
UK: ˈʃɒplɪftɪŋ | US: ˈʃɑːplɪftɪŋ
n. the act of stealing goods from a shop while pretending to be a customer.
The word "shoplifting" combines "shop" (from Old English sceoppa, meaning "booth" or "store") and "lift" (from Old Norse lypta, meaning "to steal" in colloquial usage). The suffix "-ing" turns the verb into a noun, denoting the action. Originally, "lift" in this context implied stealthy theft, evolving into its modern legal sense by the 19th century. The term reflects the literal act of "lifting" items from a shop unnoticed.
The store installed cameras to reduce shoplifting.
She was arrested for shoplifting a pair of earrings.
Shoplifting costs retailers billions annually.
Teenagers sometimes experiment with shoplifting out of peer pressure.
The security guard recognized the signs of shoplifting and intervened.