as in thieves
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 burglars
At the end of January, burglars used sledgehammers to break into Patriot Pub in Crestwood, leaving the owner stunned by how brazen the thieves appear.
—
Jermont Terry, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
Laurence des Cars, the Louvre's president and director, previously acknowledged that the museum's cameras had failed to spot the burglars and that there were not enough cameras outside monitoring the museum's perimeter.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 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
In November, burglars broke into the home searching for memorabilia, the suit alleges.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Officers learned burglars hid a camouflaged camera in the bushes outside a home before fleeing the scene.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026
The active theory was that the assailants were career burglars or career thugs or worse.
—Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
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
The Lucky Supermarket in Montclair was targeted twice in three days this week by pre-dawn burglars, who used a vehicle to smash through an entrance before taking merchandise in one break-in and some cash from an ATM in the other, authorities said.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 27 Dec. 2024
Jermont Terry, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
Laurence des Cars, the Louvre's president and director, previously acknowledged that the museum's cameras had failed to spot the burglars and that there were not enough cameras outside monitoring the museum's perimeter.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 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
In November, burglars broke into the home searching for memorabilia, the suit alleges.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Officers learned burglars hid a camouflaged camera in the bushes outside a home before fleeing the scene.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026
The active theory was that the assailants were career burglars or career thugs or worse.
—Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
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
The Lucky Supermarket in Montclair was targeted twice in three days this week by pre-dawn burglars, who used a vehicle to smash through an entrance before taking merchandise in one break-in and some cash from an ATM in the other, authorities said.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 27 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burglars
Noun
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The heist wasn’t quite as movie‑made as the Louvre heist in October 2025, when four masked thieves pulled off a daylight robbery in just seven minutes, smashing display cases to steal eight pieces of France’s historic crown jewels.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
15 Feb. 2026
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Mar Vista resident Andrew Martin joined the councilmembers at their news conference after copper wire thieves left his neighborhood in the dark.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Los Angeles Times reported that the girlfriend's last name is Arroyo and that the 31-year-old woman, who was in the shower when the robbers broke in, had been restrained with zip ties.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
17 Feb. 2026
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The robbers ran toward that shelter after beating Ajsac Sirin, and someone recognized Delia from a wanted poster, prosecutors said.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Burglars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burglars. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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