burglar

noun

Definition of burglarnext
as in thief
a person who illegally enters a building in order to steal things; a person who commits burglary The burglar had broken into several homes in the neighborhood.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of burglar The would-be burglars targeted a home in Pasadena, California. — Abigail Velez, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026 In late March, a gang used a tractor to batter down a fence before two masked burglars broke into the Magnani Rocca Foundation, a private museum about 12 miles from the northern Italian city of Parma. — Willem Marx, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026 But Hohimer himself implicated another burglar, Frederick Malchow, in the slaying. — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026 On June 19 burglars used a saw to cut through a garage door on Avalon Heights Terrace, and smashed through a sliding glass window to get into the home. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for burglar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burglar
  1. thief
  2. robber
Noun
  • Casually sporting leggings as a pair of pants can identify you as an easy target for thieves.
    — Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2026
  • At an archeological museum in Alicante, Spain, last Thursday — the very day of the Vienna robbery — thieves took dozens of gold and silver Bronze Age artifacts from a collection known as the Treasure of Villena.
    — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of thief
Noun
  • The robber has been described as standing between 5 feet, 5 inches and 5 feet, 6 inches tall.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Four were carjackers and one was an armed robber who stole from a 72-year-old man.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of robber

Browse Nearby Words

burghers
burglar
burglaries
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Burglar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burglar. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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