burglar

[bur-gler]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR burglar ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who commits burglary.

Origin of burglar

1225–75; Middle English < Anglo-French burgler (compare Anglo-Latin burg(u)lātor), perhaps < Old French *borgl(er) to plunder, pillage (< Gallo-Romance *būriculāre, equivalent to *būric(āre) (Old Low Franconian *būrj(an) to dart at, pounce upon + Vulgar Latin *-icāre v. suffix; compare Old French burgier to strike, hit) + -ulāre v. suffix) + Anglo-French -er -er²; see -ar²

Can be confusedburglar mugger robber thief (see synonym study at thief)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for burglar

crook, thief, robber, prowler, pilferer, owl, housebreaker, safecracker, filcher, picklock

Examples from the Web for burglar

Contemporary Examples of burglar

The night Tre arrives, Furious—a Vietnam vet—shoots at a burglar.
The 13 Coolest Movie Dads: ‘Taken,’ ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Die Hard,’ and More
Marlow Stern
June 15, 2014
He was caught after setting off burglar alarms in the palace.
Security Farce At Palace As Prince Andrew Stopped By Police After Break-In
Tom Sykes
September 9, 2013
It is the burglar who bears the culpability for walking through an unlocked door, not the homeowner.
How Social Scientists, and the Rest of Us, Got Seduced By a Good Story
Megan McArdle
April 30, 2013
Police have denied earlier reports that Pistorius mistook his girlfriend for a burglar.
Blade Runner’s Beauty Queen: Who Was Reeva Steenkamp?
Lizzie Crocker
February 14, 2013
The burglar was a career criminal, just out of prison after robbing a liquor store with a sawed-off shotgun.
One Redneck’s Gun Stand
Joe McLean
February 13, 2013

Historical Examples of burglar

But I'm not taking any stock in that burglar story—not a little bit!
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
John clasped it, and bolted out of the bank as a burglar might have done.
A Woman Intervenes
Robert Barr
“Just do the opposite from what it says to do to catch a burglar,” said Billy Getz.
Philo Gubb Correspondence-School Detective
Ellis Parker Butler
The dog is, of course, one of the conditions to be provided for in the burglar's plan.
Lippincott's Magazine, September, 1885
Various
"Some day the police'll take you for a burglar," said Lydia encouragingly.
Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 22, September, 1878
Various

British Dictionary definitions for burglar

burglar

noun

a person who commits burglary; housebreaker

Word Origin for burglar

C15: from Anglo-French burgler, from Medieval Latin burglātor, probably from burgāre to thieve, from Latin burgus castle, fortress, of Germanic origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for burglar

1540s, shortened from Anglo-Latin burglator (late 13c.), earlier burgator, from Medieval Latin burgator "burglar," from burgare "to break open, commit burglary," from Latin burgus "fortress, castle," a Germanic loan-word akin to borough. The intrusive -l- is perhaps from influence of Latin latro "thief" (see larceny). The native word, Old English burgh-breche, might have influenced the word.