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

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

And burglar alarm signs only about half the time mean there’s actually an alarm.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman