To steal a march

To steal a march
Steal Steal (st[=e]l), v. t. [imp. {Stole} (st[=o]l); p. p. {Stolen} (st[=o]"l'n); p. pr. & vb. n. {Stealing}.] [OE. stelen, AS. stelan; akin to OFries. stela, D. stelen, OHG. stelan, G. stehlen, Icel. stela, SW. stj["a]la, Dan. sti[ae]le, Goth. stilan.] 1. To take, and carry away, feloniously; to take without right or leave, and with intent to keep wrongfully; as, to steal the personal goods of another. [1913 Webster]

Maugre thy heed, thou must for indigence Or steal, or beg, or borrow, thy dispense. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

The man who stole a goose and gave away the giblets in alms. --G. Eliot. [1913 Webster]

2. To withdraw or convey clandestinely (reflexive); hence, to creep furtively, or to insinuate. [1913 Webster]

They could insinuate and steal themselves under the same by their humble carriage and submission. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

He will steal himself into a man's favor. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. To gain by insinuating arts or covert means. [1913 Webster]

So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. --2 Sam. xv. 6. [1913 Webster]

4. To get into one's power gradually and by imperceptible degrees; to take possession of by a gradual and imperceptible appropriation; -- with away. [1913 Webster]

Variety of objects has a tendency to steal away the mind from its steady pursuit of any subject. --I. Watts. [1913 Webster]

5. To accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner; to try to carry out secretly; as, to steal a look. [1913 Webster]

Always, when thou changest thine opinion or course, profess it plainly, . . . and do not think to steal it. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]

{To steal a march}, to march in a covert way; to gain an advantage unobserved; -- formerly followed by of, but now by on or upon, and sometimes by over; as, to steal a march upon one's political rivals. [1913 Webster]

She yesterday wanted to steal a march of poor Liddy. --Smollett. [1913 Webster]

Fifty thousand men can not easily steal a march over the sea. --Walpole. [1913 Webster]

Syn: To filch; pilfer; purloin; thieve. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • steal a march on sb — ► to get an advantage over someone by acting before they do: »Our chief competitor managed to steal a march on us by bringing out their software ahead of ours. Main Entry: ↑steal …   Financial and business terms

  • steal a march on someone — steal a march on (someone/something) to spoil someone s plans and get an advantage over them by doing something sooner or better than them. The company plans to steal a march on its competitors by offering the same computer at a lower price …   New idioms dictionary

  • steal a march on something — steal a march on (someone/something) to spoil someone s plans and get an advantage over them by doing something sooner or better than them. The company plans to steal a march on its competitors by offering the same computer at a lower price …   New idioms dictionary

  • steal a march on — (someone/something) to spoil someone s plans and get an advantage over them by doing something sooner or better than them. The company plans to steal a march on its competitors by offering the same computer at a lower price …   New idioms dictionary

  • steal a march — This expression indicates the stealthiness of a person over another to gain advantage of the situation. For instance, if two persons are offered some jobs which are vacant, they resolve to go together next day at an agreed time, but one of them,… …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • steal a march (on somebody) — steal a ˈmarch (on sb) idiom no passive to gain an advantage over sb by doing sth before them • The company is looking at ways to steal a march on its European competitors. Main entry: ↑stealidiom …   Useful english dictionary

  • steal a march on — ► steal a march on gain an advantage over by taking early action. Main Entry: ↑steal …   English terms dictionary

  • steal a march on someone — phrase to get an advantage over someone by secretly starting something that they had planned to do Thesaurus: to do something before someone elsesynonym Main entry: steal …   Useful english dictionary

  • steal a march on — phrasal also get a march on : to get ahead of or win an advantage over especially unexpectedly and with sly adroitness stole a march on his competitors by being the first to put the product on the market * * * steal a march on To gain an… …   Useful english dictionary

  • steal a march —    If you steal a march on someone, you do something in an unexpected or secret way that enables you to gain an advantage over them.     We were able to steal a march on other retailers by immediately offering a 10% reduction on orders received… …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

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