as in thief
a person who illegally enters a building in order to steal things; a person who commits burglary
The burglar had broken into several homes in the neighborhood.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of burglar
The movie’s biggest laughs come from Kevin’s hijinks, which involve setting up complex booby traps to fend off a pair of burglars targeting his family’s home.
—
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
Or when Eddie chased and stopped a burglar a week before heart surgery.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
In that case, the burglars entered through a bedroom window but fled after tripping an alarm, police said.
—City News Service, Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
The boys agree to take turns guarding the door, and Bundle shrugs off the latest of Bill’s urgings to stay out of harm’s way to pop back to her room, put on an all-black cat-burglar-type ensemble, and attempt to climb down the ivy from her bedroom to the front of the house.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for burglar
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
Or when Eddie chased and stopped a burglar a week before heart surgery.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
In that case, the burglars entered through a bedroom window but fled after tripping an alarm, police said.
—City News Service, Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
The boys agree to take turns guarding the door, and Bundle shrugs off the latest of Bill’s urgings to stay out of harm’s way to pop back to her room, put on an all-black cat-burglar-type ensemble, and attempt to climb down the ivy from her bedroom to the front of the house.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for burglar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burglar
Noun
-
The word was even used for boxers and thieves.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
4 Feb. 2026
-
In each incident, thieves targeted late-model Hondas by breaking into driver-side windows with a blunt object or pry tool, and took the airbags from the steering wheels.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Joe Pesci, who with Daniel Stern played the would-be robbers of Home Alone and Home Alone 2, also mourned O’Hara’s passing.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Firemen in their command center calm the fears of the locals who call in, law enforcement tracks down tomb robbers, while in the port of Torre Annunziata, Syrian tankers unload Ukrainian grain.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Burglar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burglar. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
