burglar

[bur-gler] / ˈbɜr glər /

NOUN

person who steals

Synonyms

STRONGEST

crook robber thief

STRONG

housebreaker owl pilferer prowler safecracker

WEAK

cat burglar filcher midnighter picklock porch climber sneakthief

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.”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

burglar burglars

It could also provide enough electricity for off-grid devices requiring little power, such as sensors to detect pest damage to farmland, overflowing rivers, landslides or even burglar alarms.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

This meant they could avoid triggering some burglar alarm systems which only covered downstairs floors.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026

His mother “worked as a receptionist at a burglar alarm company—one of the few growth industries in the neighborhood” during the early 1960s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

But as any Argentine will tell you, you would have to be stupid to literally hide cash under your mattress—it’s the first place a burglar would look.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

By the light from the trailer, he could see that the burglar was just a kid—a large, lumpy kid.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

It’s functionally a field guide of targets for burglars, looters and squatters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Five decades ago, four burglars broke into a billionaire’s safe, setting off a chain of events that exposed and foiled one of the CIA’s most ambitious operations against the Soviets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Steven Calabro, a neighbor, told CBS News that he took photos of the burglars before they got away.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

Prosecutors suggested that because the burglars did not simply steal expensive items and implied they had intended to target the celebrities personally.

From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026

Two of the Cuban burglars had been carrying notebooks in which the name Howard Hunt was written.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

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