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View definitions for burglar

burglar

noun as in person who steals

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Example Sentences

Earlier this year, TMZ reported that storage units owned by Beyoncé's production company, Parkwood Entertainment, were raided by burglars who made off with an estimated $1 million in goods.

In 2006, Martha Milete was shot in the chest by burglars in her Detroit home.

Police once used WD-40 to extricate a naked burglar who had become wedged into ductwork.

Posing as an undercover detective, he persuades an elderly woman to give him her most precious valuables to thwart a supposed burglar.

The burglar alarm to keep his parents out of his messy bedroom wasn’t his only invention.

The night Tre arrives, Furious—a Vietnam vet—shoots at a burglar.

She recently caught a would-be burglar in the garage of their new home and chased him out into the street.

He was caught after setting off burglar alarms in the palace.

It is the burglar who bears the culpability for walking through an unlocked door, not the homeowner.

Police have denied earlier reports that Pistorius mistook his girlfriend for a burglar.

No burglar ever brags of his exploits; the poacher always boasts, and always receives applause.

The real fact is that Mr. Parson's father was a burglar of the fine old school.

The burglar entered the room without noise, and the heavy breathing of the sleeper continued without intermission.

Next came Coronado, as happy as a disappointed burglar whose cue it is to congratulate the rescuing policeman.

As for the gentleman at the door he was encumbered with his hurt companion, who fell across his knees as he rushed at the burglar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is another name for a burglar?

The word burglar specifically refers to someone who commits burglary—the crime of breaking into a place to steal things.

A burglar is sometimes called a prowler. A particularly stealthy and skilled burglar is sometimes called a cat burglar.

Antiquated words for burglar include housebreaker, sneakthief, and picklock.

A burglar is a kind of thief, but the word thief is much more general.

A house that has been burglarized can be said to have been robbed, but the word robber typically refers to someone who steals by using force, violence, or threats of force or violence.

A person who specifically steals hamburgers is called a hamburglar.

What words are related to burglar?

The crime that a burglar commits is called burglary. In the US, the verb burglarize is used. In the UK, the verb is burgle.

The adjective antiburglary is sometimes used to describe something designed to prevent burglaries, such as bars on windows or a burglar alarm (an electronic security system). A house with such things might be said to be burglarproof.

The much rarer adjective burglarious means “pertaining to or involving burglary.”

How do you spell burglar?

Unlike a lot of words that refer to a person who performs a specific action (robber, farmer), burglar ends not in -er or -or but in -ar. The ending likely traces back to Latin origins, probably the verb burgāre, meaning “to thieve.”

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On this page you'll find 24 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to burglar, such as: crook, robber, thief, housebreaker, owl, and pilferer.

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

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