burglary

American  

[bur-gluh-ree] / ˈbɜr glə ri /

noun

Criminal Law.

plural

burglaries

1. the felony of breaking into and entering the house of another at night with intent to steal, extended by statute to cover the breaking into and entering of any of various buildings, by night or day.

---

burglary British  

/ bɜːˈɡlɛərɪəs, ˈbɜːɡlərɪ /

noun

1. English criminal law the crime of either entering a building as a trespasser with the intention of committing theft, rape, grievous bodily harm, or damage, or, having entered as a trespasser, of committing one or more of these offences

---

Other Word Forms

• antiburglary adjective
• burglarious adjective

Etymology

Origin of burglary

1150–1200; Middle English < Anglo-French burglarie; burglar, -y ³

Example Sentences

Host Nick Knowles made a public appeal for extra tradespeople last week - to help push the project over the line - before the burglary on Friday night.

From BBC

No information at all had been recorded about the burglaries at the home of the individual campaigner.

From BBC

South Wales Police believes one or two people are responsible and said officers were "working hard to put a stop to the recent rise of commercial burglaries".

From BBC

Another ‘Real Housewives of Potomac’ star is facing legal trouble: Wendy Osefo and her husband allegedly fraudulently reported a burglary and theft last year.

From Los Angeles Times

Berkeley police used automatic license plate readers to track Alford’s car in the area before and after the burglary.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• break in
• crime
• heist
• larceny
• robbery
• theft