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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.

The “cat trivia game,” it turns out, is Cat Burglar, which Netflix calls an “edgy, over-the-top, interactive trivia toon.”

From Slate • May 28, 2022

Cat Burglar is an animated series from Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones — the creators of Bandersnatch, arguably Netflix’s biggest interactive title to date.

From The Verge • Feb. 24, 2022

Starck may be excessively romantic in calling Tomic a Gentleman Burglar.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 7, 2019

Burglar bars on the windows kept many people from jumping out, though a bartender led 30 people down back stairs to safety.

From Washington Times • Jun. 12, 2016

They did not try to break in, except for a few Burglar Ghosts.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston