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

Zeke, a white and gray short-haired cat with a penchant for taking down rats, is known in his Boston neighborhood as a fearless prowler.

From New York Times • Aug. 2, 2022

The prowler was dressed in sneakers, pants, a jacket and a baseball cap turned backward.

From Washington Post • Jul. 19, 2022

They weren’t uniformly lucky on the album, which remains a polarizing listen that often finds Morrison adopting the demeanor of a cigarette-stained prowler who boasts and moans his way through simply written blues lyrics.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2021

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

It occurred to me I might he mistaken for a prowler, so I walked around the block.

From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli