Steal vs RobHi everybody! Tom here from BBC Learning English. Today I'm going to explain the difference between to steal to rob. Both to steal and to rob mean 'to take something without permission'. To steal focuses on the object or the thing which is taken. For example: Hey! Somebody just stole my phone. Rob focuses on the victim of the crime. For example: The men robbed a bank last night. I wouldn't say: Someone robbed my phone. I would say: They robbed me and stole my phone.