prowler

[ prou-ler ]

/ ˈpraʊ lər /

a person or animal that prowls.

a person who goes stealthily about with some unlawful intention, as to commit a burglary or theft.

Nearby words

First recorded in 1510–20; prowl + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

And that prowler, you heard, Tom, must have been the same cowardly wretch who shot old Jerry.
Far Past the Frontier|James A. Braden
No matter, it must be some prowler, some workman out of employment.
The works of Guy de Maupassant, Vol. 5 (of 8)|Guy de Maupassant 1850-1893
But no sound answered her, save from outside the cry of a bird frightened by some midnight prowler.
Petticoat Rule|Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy
The expert explorer will find something interesting in Sahara, but almost any prowler will have a rare time in Panama.
Prowling about Panama|George A. Miller

And each time a prowler had been captured the free ones had retaliated with a resurgence of savage attacks.
Space Prison|Tom Godwin

1510s, proller, agent noun from prowl (v.).