burglarize

verb

bur·​glar·​ize ˈbər-glə-ˌrīz 

also ˈbər-gə-lə-

burglarized; burglarizing

transitive verb

1

: to break into and steal from

burglarize a house

2

: to commit burglary against

intransitive verb

: to commit burglary

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 of burglarize

• invade
• rob

Examples of burglarize in a Sentence

the Watergate scandal began when Republican operatives burglarized the Democratic Party's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

before they were caught, the thieves had burglarized dozens of houses around the city

Recent Examples on the Web

The co-conspirators burned the stores to force their closure and then shut off power to the security cameras, which enabled them to return to the unguarded locations to burglarize the ATMs. —Adam Bednar, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026

Court records indicate Sather had returned to her Palm Bay home for her lunch break in September 1990 and found Willacy burglarizing her home. —Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026

On Thursday evening, April 16, two or three men who may have had guns attempted to burglarize a home on the 11900 block of Wood Ranch Road in Granada Hills, police said. —Sierra Van Der Brug, Daily News, 18 Apr. 2026

Police determined Douglas’ home was burglarized and traced his cell phone to find Strong, who also had Douglas’ house and car keys on him when he was arrested, according to an arrest affidavit. —Katie Langford, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for burglarize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

burglarize

verb

bur·​glar·​ize ˈbər-glə-ˌrīz 

burglarized; burglarizing

: to break into and steal from

burglarize a house

Legal Definition

burglarize

transitive verb

bur·​glar·​ize ˈbər-glə-ˌrīz 

burglarized; burglarizing

: to commit a burglary at

burglarized the apartment