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.
Cat Burglar is an animated series from Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones — the creators of Bandersnatch, arguably Netflix’s biggest interactive title to date.
From The Verge • Feb. 24, 2022
Starck may be excessively romantic in calling Tomic a Gentleman Burglar.
From The New Yorker • Jan. 7, 2019
The new trailer for its second season reveals that the Netflix mockumentary will dig into a subject of even greater import: Who is the Turd Burglar?
From Slate • Aug. 21, 2018
Burglar bars on the windows kept many people from jumping out, though a bartender led 30 people down back stairs to safety.
From Washington Times • Jun. 12, 2016
Bernabe likened the painted cattleguard to the sort of stickers—“Protected by Acme Burglar Alarm System”—store owners who could not afford burglar alarm systems put on prominent display in their business windows.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
