Do you know the difference between steal, rob and burgle? How do we use these three verbs?

TO STEAL

You steal when you take (unlawfully) what belongs to someone else. The object of this verb is generally what you have stolen.Generally, you steal things. The person who steals is a thief.

• Someone’s stolen my watch
• He stole all my money
• They wanted me to steal your ring

You can also  steal something from someone

• He stole from me and from my friends

TO ROB

You rob when you unlawfully take something from its owner.You rob someone or you rob a place (bank, shop, house…etc. The person who robs is a robber.

• I have been robbed
• Robin Hood robbed the rich
• He robbed a bank

A person or institution is robbed of something by someone or an entity

• She robbed me of all my money

TO BURGLE

It means to steal from a building, a home…etc.   The person who breaks into houses, shops … etc to steal things is a burglar.

• My house was burgled last night
• She has been burgled

Test your knowledge with this exercise.

Click at the top right-hand corner to enlarge the window (red arrows)