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.
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Recent Examples of burglar
In March, 2024, the couple was sitting on their porch, in Portland, Oregon, when a burglar, who was trying to break into a truck across the street, threatened them at gunpoint.
—
Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
She and her husband Thomas Deluca were shot to death in July after confronting a burglar in their Encino home.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026
But leaving your porch light on isn't always enough to deter more determined burglars.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2026
The active theory was that the assailants were career burglars or career thugs or worse.
—Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for burglar
Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
She and her husband Thomas Deluca were shot to death in July after confronting a burglar in their Encino home.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026
But leaving your porch light on isn't always enough to deter more determined burglars.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2026
The active theory was that the assailants were career burglars or career thugs or worse.
—Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for burglar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burglar
Noun
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Douglas County commissioners passed a measure Tuesday that requires hundreds of retail stores in unincorporated parts of the county to file a report with law enforcement when thieves rip them off.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
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In Barcelona, Cindy was alert enough to ward off a would-be thief tugging on her tote bag.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Inside, Darwin Tirado-Sanchez, 22, sitting in the passenger seat and a 38-year-old man in the driver’s seat, were ordered at gunpoint to turn over their wallets and keys without turning around toward their robbers, prosecutors said in a court proffer of allegations.—
William Lee,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
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Responding officers headed to the scene spotted two men matching the description of the robbers and arrested both in the area of the Sox-35th Red Line station around 15 minutes after the robbery, police said.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Burglar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burglar. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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