Past Tense of Steal | Examples & Meaning
The simple past tense of steal is “stole” (e.g., “Someone stole my bike yesterday”). The past participle of the verb “steal” is “stolen” (e.g., “Someone’s stolen my bike”).
| Simple past tense | Past participle |
|---|---|
| Andy’s mother turned her back, and he stole one of the cookies from the rack. | Who’s stolen one of the cookies? |
| Andy, was it you who stole one of the cookies? | One of the cookies has been stolen. |
Steal past tense
Steal is an irregular verb and follows a similar conjugation pattern as the verbs choose and bite. Its past tense form is “stole,” and its past participle form is “stolen.”
| Grammatical form | Example in a sentence |
|---|---|
| Simple past tense | Two people broke in and stole eight paintings. |
| Present perfect tense | The thieves have stolen eight paintings. |
| Past perfect tense | The police confirmed that the thieves had stolen eight paintings. |
| Simple past passive voice | Eight paintings were stolen. |
Frequently asked questions about the past tense of steal
- Is it stolen or stollen?
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The correct spelling of the past participle of the verb “steal” is stolen ( ), not stollen (e.g., “Someone has stolen the money,” “The money has been stolen”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to avoid typos when using tricky irregular verbs like steal.
- Is it steal or steel?
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It can be steal or steel.
“Steal” is a verb meaning “take and keep something that does not belong to you without permission” (e.g., “It is easy for someone to steal your money if you keep it in your back pocket”).
“Steel” is a type of metal (e.g., “Professional racing bicycles are typically made of carbon fiber because it is lighter than steel”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to use homophones like “steal” and “steel” correctly in your writing.
