burglar
Americannoun
noun
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.
This meant they could avoid triggering some burglar alarm systems which only covered downstairs floors.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 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
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
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
It never occurred to me that one man could start to play with the faith of fifty million people--with the single-mindedness of a burglar blowing a safe.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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.
