prowler

noun

prowl·​er ˈprau̇-lər 

plural prowlers

: a person or animal that prowls

Within a few million years of this major turning point in Earth history, the seas were swarming with myriad forms of life, swimmers, prowlers, sedentary beasts, and burrowers.

—Roger Lewin

especially : a person who moves through an area or place in a quiet and stealthy way in order to commit a crime

There were reports of a prowler in the neighborhood.

He felt uneasy being out there by himself. No one ever walked in Linden Hills, and he didn't want to be mistaken for a prowler.

—Gloria Naylor

… she kills him with a shotgun, claiming that in the dark she mistook him for a prowler.

—Lawrence Eisenberg

Examples of prowler in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Montgomery contends he was shot after surprising a prowler at a vacant house owned by his father. —The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2025

Listen to this article A San Diego Gas & Electric Co. employee has filed a claim for damages against the city of El Cajon after the Police Department and a city employee mistakenly identified him in social media posts as a possible prowler. —Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025

Massey, a 36-year-old mother of two, was killed July 6 after two Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies responded to her 911 call about a possible prowler at her home. —Karina Tsui, CNN, 11 Feb. 2025

Sonya Massey’s family has reached a $10 million settlement more than six months after she was shot and killed in her Illinois home by a deputy responding to her call about a possible prowler. —Janelle Griffith, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1519, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prowler

• couleur
• howler