Skip to content

dérober

to steal

verb deh-roh-BEH Rare

Also means

to conceal, to hide

Usage Note

Dérober is a formal or literary synonym of voler ('to steal'). The reflexive se dérober means 'to slip away' or 'to dodge a question' (se dérober à ses responsabilités — 'to shirk one's responsibilities'). The past participle dérobé appears in the fixed phrase escalier dérobé ('hidden staircase'), a term still used in architecture.

Examples

"Il a dérobé les bijoux de la victime."

Natural Translation

He stole the victim's jewellery.

Explore French by topic