burgle

verb bur·gle \ ˈbər-gəl \

Definition of burgle

burgled; burgling play \-g(ə-)liŋ\

transitive verb

:burglarize

See burgle defined for English-language learners

burgle was our Word of the Day on 08/26/2017. Hear the podcast!

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 of burgle from the Web

The office of the chief justice of South Africa’s highest court was burgled in March.

— The Economist, "Criminals are running circles around South Africa’s police," 12 July 2017
Christopher Knight was a thief who burgled private properties more than a thousand times and robbed their owners of peace of mind.

— National Geographic, "Why the North Pond Hermit Hid From People for 27 Years," 9 Apr. 2017
Somehow, Gedney had crept into these quiet, throwaway scenes and burgled them for his camera.

— samanth subramanian, The New Yorker, "William Gedney’s Travels in India," 28 Mar. 2017
FBI agents sent to Albania to teach the locals about crime investigation now have some real material to work with: The Tirana office which the bureau rented, next to the presidential palace on the capital’s main boulevard, was burgled Tuesday night.

— wired staff, WIRED, "Hunt is Afoot," 31 July 1998

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'burgle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Burglary, which means "forcible entry into a building especially at night with the intent to commit a crime (as theft)," and "burglar" ("one who commits burglary") have been with us since the 16th century. "Burgle" and its synonym "burglarize" didn't break into the language until the 19th century, however, arriving almost simultaneously around 1870. "Burgle" is a back-formation (that is, a word formed by removing a suffix or prefix) from "burglar." "Burglarize" comes from "burglar" as well, with the addition of the familiar "-ize" ending. Both verbs were once disparaged by grammarians ("burgle" was considered to be "facetious" and "burglarize" was labeled "colloquial"), but they are now generally accepted. "Burglarize" is slightly more common in American English, whereas "burgle" seems to be preferred in British English.