burglar alarm

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of burglar alarm¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

The next morning a builder arrived to work at the house, heard the burglar alarm and looked through a window.

From BBC

Although the campus gets locked up tight, it lacks a burglar alarm, and security cameras have arrived but have not yet been installed.

From Los Angeles Times

Some use light to startle predators, “like a burglar alarm,” and others use it to lure prey, as anglerfish do, said Quattrini, who is curator of corals at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

From Seattle Times

Most modern home security systems rely on a Wi-Fi signal for burglar alarms and surveillance equipment, including doorbell cameras.

From Los Angeles Times

Authorities say the men broke into the house in July 1969 in a bid to steal a coin collection, but were foiled by a burglar alarm.

From Seattle Times