pilferage
Small-scale shoplifting behavior
Pilferage is petty theft, especially the stealing of small amounts or items over time: inventory shrinkage from employee pilferage, pilferage from shipping containers.
The word appears most often in commercial and institutional contexts—warehouses, retail, military supply chains—where small-scale theft accumulates into significant losses.
Stealing store merchandise
- filchingStealing small items
- swipingTaking something swiftly
- nickingSmall cuts or thefts
- pocketingTaking and keeping covertly
pinching · light-fingered · pickpocketing · kleptomania · snitching · lifting · purloining · small-scale
Decrease in size
- stockroomStorage for merchandise
- skimmingPassing lightly over
- misappropriationWrongful taking of entrusted assets
- systematicFollowing ordered procedures
Secretive and sly
- sneakyStealthily deceptive
- surreptitiousDone secretly, avoiding detection
- stealthySecretly cautious in movement
- undetectedNot discovered yet
unnoticed · secretive · clandestine · underhanded · concealed · sly · discreet · covert
Wrongful taking of entrusted assets
- peculationTheft of entrusted assets
- defalcationMisappropriation of entrusted funds
- skimmingPassing lightly over
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
shoplifting
Stealing store merchandise
pocketing · pinching · light-fingered · pickpocketing · kleptomania · snitching · lifting · purloining · small-scale · opportunistic
shrinkage
Decrease in size
- stockroomStorage for merchandise
- skimmingPassing lightly over
- misappropriationWrongful taking of entrusted assets
furtive
Secretive and sly
- sneakyStealthily deceptive
- surreptitiousDone secretly, avoiding detection
- stealthySecretly cautious in movement
undetected · unnoticed · secretive · clandestine · underhanded · concealed · sly · discreet · covert · hidden
misappropriation
Wrongful taking of entrusted assets
- peculationTheft of entrusted assets
- defalcationMisappropriation of entrusted funds
- skimmingPassing lightly over
fraud · white-collar · siphoning · kickbacks · falsification
- plunderlooting, loot, booty, pillaging, spoils
- breakage and shrinkagebreakage, shrinkage, theft, spoilage, damage
- embezzlementpeculation, defalcation, misuse of funds, misappropriation, siphoning
- financial fraudsecurities fraud, bank fraud, accounting fraud, defalcation, embezzler
- logistics problemsshipping delay, late delivery, lost shipment, delayed delivery, supply shortage
- Loss Preventionshrinkage, shoplifting, shoplifter, store detective, security camera
pilferagehonesty
Truthfulness, sincerity
integrity · trustworthiness · probity · rectitude · incorruptibility
pilferagedonation
Voluntary charitable gift
giving · generosity · gifting · contribution · charity
pilferagearmed robbery
Theft with weapon threat
heist · grand larceny · grand theft · burglary · robbery
pilfer, pilfering, thieve, pilferer, pilfered, pilfers, pilferers, pilferings