die Diebin
thief
A female person who steals or has stolen something.
EXAMPLE
Die Polizei nahm die Diebin fest, nachdem sie den Schmuck gestohlen hatte.
The police arrested the thief after she had stolen the jewelry.
die Diebin
thief
die Diebin, die Diebinnen
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Diebin, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Diebinnen |
| genitive | der Diebin |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Diebin | die Diebinnen |
| accusative | die Diebin | die Diebinnen |
| dative | der Diebin | den Diebinnen |
| genitive | der Diebin | der Diebinnen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Typical collocations
'Diebin' (female thief) is often used with verbs related to law enforcement: 'jemanden als Diebin identifizieren' (to identify someone as a thief), 'eine Diebin festnehmen' (to arrest a thief), or 'eine Diebin überführen' (to prove a female thief's guilt).
EXAMPLE
Die Ermittler konnten die Diebin anhand der Videoaufnahmen identifizieren.
The investigators were able to identify the thief from the video footage.
Fixed expressions
A common expression is 'einer Diebin auf die Spur kommen' (to get on the trail of a female thief). The person referred to after 'einer' is in the dative case.
EXAMPLE
Nach mehreren Hinweisen kam die Polizei einer Diebin auf die Spur.
After several tips, the police got on the trail of a thief.
News reporting style
'Diebin' (female thief) appears particularly often in police reports and news stories about investigations, arrests, or court proceedings.
EXAMPLE
Die Zeitung berichtete über eine Diebin, die mehrere Geschäfte bestohlen hatte.
The newspaper reported on a thief who had stolen from several shops.
In real life
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