burglar
Americannoun
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:
His father, Charles Whittaker, was a traveling salesman for a maker of burglar alarms and bank vaults.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
"This isn't a burglar walking down a street thinking 'I need to do a burglary'," Det Ch Insp Dave Worthington said.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 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
Gloucestershire-based David McClelland said some older phones, along with burglar and care alarms, will not be able to receive 4G and 5G networks, while others may automatically switch over.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026
The burglar alarm began to whoop in panic.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
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
Details of what burglars stole from that home were not yet available Sunday morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2026
Dias and Jama are not the first victims of burglars who have taken advantage of knowing when footballers are away.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
In the first place, to hear whether there are any burglars downstairs, and then to the various beds—upstairs, next door and in my room—to tell whether the others are asleep or half awake.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
