unsteal

English

Etymology

un- +‎ steal

Verb

unsteal (third-person singular simple present unsteals, present participle unstealing, simple past unstole, past participle unstolen)

1. (transitive) To reverse the process of stealing; to return, or never to have taken, something stolen.
   • 2011, Wendy Mass, 13 Gifts, page 55:

     You can't unshatter a bowl any more than you can unsteal a goat.

   • 2014, Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams, Grimmtastic Girls #1: Cinderella Stays Late:

     If I talk you up to the prince, will that be enough? Will you unsteal the pumpkin? Return it to the library?

Anagrams

• eluants, lunates, unstale