How to Use Stole vs. Stolen (Irregular Verb Forms)

First published on January 16, 2023 by Dalia Y.|Last revised on October 20, 2024

To steal (present tense), stole (simple past tense); and stolen (present or past perfect).

How to Use Stole vs. Stolen (Irregular Verb Forms)

What's the past tense of "steal"?

The simple past tense of steal is stole, and the past participle is stolen. Use stole for simple past tense and stolen for past participle forms.

Definition of steal

The Oxford English Dictionary defines steal as "to take something from a person, shop, etc. without permission and without intending to return it or pay for it." It's used in both literal and figurative senses, from physical theft to taking credit for ideas.

The past tense of steal is stole.

The past participle of steal is stolen.

Verb forms of 'steal'

Simple Cont. Perfect Perfect Cont.

Present

I/you/they steal • He/she/it steals

Past

I/you/they stole • He/she/it stole

Future

I/you/they will steal • He/she/it will steal

Present

I am/you are stealing • He/she/it is stealing

Past

I was/you were stealing • He/she/it was stealing

Future

I/you will be stealing • He/she/it will be stealing

Present

I/you have stolen • He/she/it has stolen

Past

I/you had stolen • He/she/it had stolen

Future

I/you will have stolen • He/she/it will have stolen

Present

I have been stealing • He/she/it has been stealing

Past

I had been stealing • He/she/it had been stealing

Future

I will have been stealing • He/she/it will have been stealing

Is "steal" a regular or irregular verb?

Answer: Steal is an irregular verb— its past tense is stole and past participle is stolen.

Note: Regular verbs end in -ed in the past tense. Any other verb ending is considered irregular.

While an irregular verb, 'steal' follows a common pattern where the past tense and past participle are different forms. Similar to other verbs like break/broke/broken, speak/spoke/spoken, and swear/swore/sworn, steal uses distinct forms for past tense and past participle.

When to use "stole" vs. "stolen"

She stole the jewelry from the store.

The jewelry has been stolen from the store.

The verb steal uses different forms for simple past tense and past participle. When used as a participle (shown in the second sentence), it requires an auxiliary verb like have, has, or had. The simple past doesn't use a helper verb since it's a complete tense, so stole can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.

Remember, a participle always uses a helper verb like have, has, or had to form perfect tenses, or be verbs to form passive voice. The simple past tense stands alone and doesn't need auxiliary verbs.

Similar irregular verbs

steal

Past: stole

Past part: stolen

Sentence examples: steal, stole, stolen

Steal (present tense)

• I steal a glance at the clock during meetings.

• She steals the spotlight with her performance.

• They steal ideas from other companies.

Stole (past simple)

• He stole the jewelry from the store.

• The politician's speech stole the headlines.

• She stole a glance at the handsome stranger.

Stolen (present or past perfect)

• My wallet has been stolen on the train.

• The documents were stolen from the office.

• I had my car stolen last night.

Synonyms & nearby words

Synonyms for steal

take rob pilfer loot burglarize embezzle ransack poach swipe snatch

Nearby phrases

steal the show steal a glance steal someone's thunder beg, borrow, or steal steal away steal the spotlight

Idioms with "steal"

Steal the show/spotlight

To get all the attention and praise at an event or performance.

Beg, borrow, or steal

To do whatever is necessary to get something.

Steal someone's thunder

To take attention away from someone else by announcing their news or doing something better first.

Steal a glance

To look at someone or something quickly and secretly.

Origin of the word/verb steal

Old English stelan "to commit a theft, to take and carry off clandestinely and without right or leave" from Proto-Germanic *stelanan.

Practice: "Steal" conjugations

FAQs

What are the main forms of the verb steal?

The main forms are: present tense "steal", past simple "stole", and past participle "stolen". It's an irregular verb with these three distinct forms.

When should I use the word stole?

Use "stole" for the simple past tense, referring to a completed action. For example: "The burglar stole the diamonds last night." It doesn't use an auxiliary verb.

When should I use the word stolen?

Use "stolen" as the past participle form of steal. It requires an auxiliary verb like had or was, often for perfect tenses or passive voice, like "Her car had been stolen."

Why is "have been stole" incorrect?

"Stole" is the simple past, not the past participle. When using auxiliary verbs like "have been," the correct past participle form "stolen" is required instead of "stole."

Is steal correct for past tense?

No, "steal" is the present tense. For simple past actions, the correct form is "stole," not "steal." An example mistake would be "They steal the money yesterday."