steal over
[/stiːl ˈoʊvər/]
phrasal verb
aproximar-se furtivamente; dominar gradualmente
1. to move quietly and gradually toward someone or something without being noticed
A smile stole over her face as she read the letter.
Um sorriso se aproximou furtivamente de seu rosto enquanto ela lia a carta.
2. to gradually come upon or overtake someone with an emotion or sensation
Sleep stole over him as the evening grew darker.
O sono o dominou gradualmente conforme a noite ficava mais escura.
3. to move stealthily across a space or toward a location
The fog stole over the valley during the night.
A névoa se moveu furtivamente sobre o vale durante a noite.
This is a literary and poetic phrasal verb, more commonly found in written English (novels, poetry, descriptive prose) than in everyday spoken conversation. It conveys a sense of quietness, subtlety, and inevitability. In both American English and Brazilian Portuguese, it is used to describe emotions, sensations, or physical phenomena that approach or take hold gradually and almost imperceptibly.
Related Idioms & Phrases
a smile stole over someone's face
sleep stole over someone
silence stole over the room
darkness stole over the land
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