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
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
Gloria Naylor … she kills him with a shotgun, claiming that in the dark she mistook him for a prowler. —Lawrence Eisenberg
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
See All Example Sentences for prowler
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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
See All Example Sentences for prowler
Cite this Entry
“Prowler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prowler. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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