burglar
Americannoun
-
burglars
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of burglar
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English, from Anglo-French burgler (compare Anglo-Latin burg(u)lātor ), perhaps from unattested Old French borgl(er) “to plunder, pillage” (from unattested Gallo-Romance būriculāre, equivalent to unattested būric(āre) (unattested Old Low Franconian būrj(an) “to dart at, pounce upon” + unattested Vulgar Latin -icāre verb suffix; compare Old French burgier “to strike, hit”) + -ulāre verb suffix) + Anglo-French -er -er 2; see -ar 2
Explanation
Use the word burglar when you're talking about someone who steals things from inside a house or a building. A burglar often breaks a window or forces a lock, intending to take valuable items. The act of doing this is burglary, and to do it is to burglarize in the United States, or to burgle in Britain. In the 1540's, burglar was a short form of the word burglator, from the Latin burgare, "to break open."
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:
From burglar to saboteur, artificial-intelligence agents have taken on nefarious roles in recent so-called loss-of-control episodes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
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
It’s like showing a burglar a vulnerable window, then asking him to figure out the best way to break inside and pillage the place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 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
The aboatia jimmies the trophy case open like a cat burglar and hops onto one of the doorknobs.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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
A panel of legal experts had originally said that Ramaphosa may have a case to answer after burglars stole more than $500,000 in cash, hidden in a sofa, from his rural home.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
The heist must have taken place some time between Saturday 27 and Monday 29 December, according to officials, who think the burglars may almost have been caught shortly before reaching the vault.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
If the burglars take great pains to steal what turns out to contain a homing device that leads the police to them, that’s ironic.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
