adjective
- stolen, especially in a sneaky or secretive way
Usage: literary; formal
Examples
- The detective found the purloined letter hidden in the desk drawer.
- She returned the purloined cookies to the kitchen counter.
- The museum recovered several purloined artifacts from the black market.
- Edgar Allan Poe wrote a famous story called ‘The Purloined Letter.’
- The purloined documents contained sensitive government information.
- He felt guilty about keeping the purloined pen from his coworker’s desk.