How to Use petty theft in a Sentence

petty theft

noun
Definition of petty theftnext
  • About half of the petty theft took place on the train, and less than a quarter of them happen on train station platforms.
    — Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 25 Aug. 2023
  • The suspect was charged with petty theft, a misdemeanor.
    — cleveland, 2 Sep. 2023
  • Not doing so could be considered petty theft, resulting in a misdemeanor and fines of up to $1,000 and up to a year in jail.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 25 June 2024
  • The 39-year-old Bay Point man was arrested Dec. 16 on suspicion of petty theft, and later released with no charges filed, court records show.
    — Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 5 Jan. 2024
  • Current penalties for stealing the car part include petty theft, which can be charged as a misdemeanor, or grand theft, which can be charged as a felony.
    — Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2023
  • An increase in petty theft weighed on retail store gross profit margins.
    — Joseph Walker, WSJ, 12 Oct. 2023
  • Palacios acknowledges that travelers to cities like Buenos Aires, Barcelona and Paris also have to be cautious of petty theft or scams.
    — Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024
  • King is charged with one felony count each of second-degree robbery and extortion and one misdemeanor count of petty theft.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2023
  • Police could only find a criminal record of a petty theft conviction against her in 2013.
    — Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024
  • The sales clerks had their pockets sewn shut to discourage petty theft, but these workers could debate the merits of the writer Naguib Mahfouz’s Nobel Prize.
    — Nadia Wassef, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
  • The case that brought down Suffolk County’s top three law enforcement officials began as a petty theft in 2012.
    — Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 18 July 2024
  • Cordero was charged with 61 counts of grand theft, 14 counts of petty theft, organized retail theft, identity theft and conspiracy.
    — Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 3 July 2024
  • In Sacramento County, the suspect is accused of misdemeanor petty theft, vandalism and felony grand theft, said Sgt.
    — Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 17 Apr. 2024
  • Now the victims are often low-level criminals, mostly in poor townships, suspected of petty theft or drug dealing.
    — Gwen McClure, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2013
  • Finally, one of the strongest considerations for how to proceed with a petty theft depends on the relationship your family has with the store and the store manager.
    — Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
  • Prosecutors filed a misdemeanor petty theft charge against Park.
    — Gabriel San Románstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2023
  • She also was convicted on one count of misdemeanor petty theft in relation to a theft that occurred at an Abercrombie and Fitch location in San Francisco as well.
    — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 10 May 2024
  • Police will recommend misdemeanor charges of prowling, peeping and petty theft.
    — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Feb. 2024
  • Retailers say both petty theft and organized robberies have increased since the pandemic, although data does not always support these claims.
    — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 29 Jan. 2024
  • Some of those officers have been accused (prior to their move to Florida) of petty theft and illegally detaining peaceful protestors.
    — People Staff, Peoplemag, 24 May 2023
  • Alex is used to using people to her advantage—manipulation and petty theft are two of her biggest talents—until her latest benefactor casts her out just before Labor Day.
    — Halie Lesavage, harpersbazaar.com, 25 Apr. 2023
  • Romine was initially arrested on July 3 on a felony warrant for petty theft, violation of his pre-trial release and counterfeiting.
    — Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 4 Aug. 2024
  • He was twice found to be mentally incompetent to stand trial, and his criminal history consisted largely of petty theft accusations, records show.
    — Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
  • Even for more serious crimes — petty theft, for example — the criminal justice system stumbles over the false binary of felony and lifelong consequences, or unenforceability.
    — Los Angeles Times Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2024
  • Municipal courts are the lowest-level courts in Colorado and handle city code violations, such as traffic offenses, petty theft, trespassing and possessing alcohol as a minor.
    — Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 12 July 2024
  • But there are additional swindles out there, including scams involving deception, distraction and petty theft.
    — Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023
  • It’s often cited as a basis for everything from ending cash bail and closing prisons to legalizing drugs, decriminalizing petty theft and offering reparations to the descendants of slaves.
    — Jason L. Riley, WSJ, 2 Jan. 2024
  • Inebriated tourists become a vulnerable target to petty theft.
    — Fox News, 6 Mar. 2023
  • Changes to state criminal law have largely eliminated prosecution for committing petty theft and abusing drugs, leaving little deterrent to stop this dangerous cycle.
    — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2023
  • Is petty theft actually affecting retail’s bottom line?
    — Diego Lasarte, Quartz, 1 Mar. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'petty theft.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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