cat burglar

American  

noun

1. a burglar who breaks into buildings by climbing through upstairs windows, across roofs, etc., especially with great stealth and agility.

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cat burglar British  

noun

1. a burglar who enters buildings by climbing through upper windows, skylights, etc

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Etymology

Origin of cat burglar

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cat burglar

A prolific cat burglar has been caught red handed after stealing anything she can get her paws on.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2023

They are worse than the solitary crooks who occasionally slink past our homes because they are ubiquitous, invisible and more elusive than even the wiliest cat burglar.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2022

Separately, inside the besieged city, the orphaned seamstress Anna has developed herself a side hustle as a cat burglar to raise money for her sick sister, Maria.

From New York Times ● Sep. 24, 2021

You are not Javert, he is not Jean Valjean, he still clearly needs a nap, and you have a cat burglar who is also … a cat.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2020

The aboatia jimmies the trophy case open like a cat burglar and hops onto one of the doorknobs.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer