Table of Contents
Definition of Larceny
(noun) The unlawful act of taking something from someone without consent; theft.
Example of Larceny
- Mugging an individual on the street.
Larceny Pronunciation
Syllabification: lar·ce·ny
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /lAHR-suh-nee/
- British English – /lAHs-uh-nee/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈlɑrsəni/
- British English – /ˈlɑːsəni/
Usage Notes
- Plural: larcenies
- A type of crime.
- Also called:
- stealing
- theft
- thievery
- thieving
- A (noun) larcener or (noun) larcenist (noun) larcenously commits a (noun) larcenous act.
Related Video
Additional Information
- Crime and Law Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “larceny” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
Works Consulted
Briggs, Steven M., and Joan Friedman. 2009. Criminology For Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Siegel, Larry J., and Clemens Bartollas. 2011. Corrections Today. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. 2012. Introduction to Criminal Justice. 13th ed. Belmont: CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. 2013. Essentials of Criminal Justice. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Taylor & Francis. (N.d.) Routledge Handbooks Online. (https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/).
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).
Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).
Cite the Definition of Larceny
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “larceny.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved February 9, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/larceny/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
larceny. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/larceny/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “larceny.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed February 9, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/larceny/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“larceny.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 9 Feb. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/larceny/>.