prowler

American  

[prou-ler] / ˈpraʊ lər /

noun

1. a person or animal that prowls.

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

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Etymology

Origin of prowler

First recorded in 1510–20; prowl + -er ¹

Example Sentences

A grand jury exonerated her of murder, accepting her explanation that she’d mistaken Billy for a prowler who had been frequenting the area, sometimes raiding homeowners’ fridges.

From New York Times • Oct. 30, 2022

For now, I can only turn up the volume on my security-cam alerts, enduring the false alarms triggered by wildlife but ensuring that I’ll be awake should the prowler return.

From Washington Post • Jul. 19, 2022

In a call to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, one of the homeowners described the prowler as a “tall, slim Black woman with Afro hair, very skinny.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2022

During the incident, Troyer, who is white, said he mistook the carrier, 24-year-old Sedrick Altheimer, for a prowler and called a police-only emergency dispatch hotline to report that Altheimer was threatening to kill him.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 26, 2021

He tried to think of what animal, what night prowler, she reminded him.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck