burgle

verb

bur·​gle ˈbər-gəl 

burgled; burgling ˈbər-g(ə-)liŋ  ; burgles

transitive verb

: to break into and steal from (a home, business, etc.) : burglarize

One area resident tells Newsweek her house had been burgled a few years ago while she and her husband were inside.

—Jeff Stein

intransitive verb

: to commit robbery

Clearly, the more often a man … burgles, the more likely he is to get caught.

—The Economist

While the law is a disincentive, the main reason most of us don't kill, punch or burgle is that we think it's wrong and consequently prefer not to.

—David Mitchell

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a difference between burglarize and rob?

To burglarize is "to break into and enter of a building with the intent to commit a crime, often theft," whereas rob means " to take personal property from by violence or threat." Burglary need not entail violence or threat, and robbery need not entail breaking into a dwelling.

Is the verb form of burglary, burgle or burglarize?

The verb form of burglary can be either burglarize or burgle. "Burglarize," like many verb forms, is made by adding the suffix -ize, and this form is more common in American English. Burgle is a back-formation (a word formed by subtraction of a real or supposed affix from an already existing longer word), and is more common in British English. Both are widely accepted as correct.

Is burglarized a real word?

Yes, it is, and so is burgle. While both variants of the verb, burgle and burglarize, have been disparaged since they entered the language in the middle of the 19th century, both are real words, and both have come to be widely accepted.

Synonyms

• invade
• rob

Examples of burgle in a Sentence

someone burgled the lab when no one was there and let the animals out of their cages

the neighbors returned from vacation to find that their house had been burgled

Recent Examples on the Web

The incident took place at around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, shortly before the store was burgled. —Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025

The local Chinese restaurant and the local corner shop have also been burgled. —Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025

Your Friends & Neighbors (Apple TV+) – Jon Hamm is stellar in this dramedy about a man who loses everything and turns to a life of crime, burgling his wealthy friends and neighbors while getting mixed up in various relationships and conflicts. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025

Your Friends and Neighbors Apple TV+, April 11 Literary bona fides: not an adaptation, but created by the novelist Jonathan Tropper John Hamm stars as a rich guy who, having lost his job, decides to make ends meet by burgling from his neighbors. —Emily Temple march 28, Literary Hub, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from burglar

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for burgle

• gurgle
• tergal

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Legal Definition

burgle

transitive verb

bur·​gle ˈbər-gəl 

burgled; burgling

: burglarize