burglar alarm

American  

noun

1. an automatic device for giving an alarm when a window, door, safe, etc., is opened or tampered with, as by a burglar.

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Etymology

Origin of burglar alarm

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

burglar alarm

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

He’s jury-rigged a burglar alarm with foam so it makes a clattering sound loud enough for the neighbor’s Ring camera to pick up, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2025

The first possible sign of Cavalcante that alerted searchers shortly after midnight Tuesday was a burglar alarm.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 13, 2023

Topham told the court his son's scream was like "the sound of a burglar alarm going off" and he had instinctively looked away from the road.

From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2021

Bernabe likened the painted cattleguard to the sort of stickers—“Protected by Acme Burglar Alarm System”—store owners who could not afford burglar alarm systems put on prominent display in their business windows.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols