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
An investigation is underway in Long Beach after the Holy Innocents Parish Catholic School was hit by burglars over the weekend, who left a significant amount of damage behind.
—
Michele Gile, CBS News, 3 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
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
Actor Daniel Stern, who played one of the burglars breaking into Kevin McCallister's home in classic Christmas movie Home Alone, is in legal trouble in real life.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
By 2001 coyotes were so much in the news in the Windy City that in that year Chicago homeowners listed them—not street gangs, not burglars, but coyotes—as the single greatest threat to their safety.
—Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Michele Gile, CBS News, 3 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
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
Actor Daniel Stern, who played one of the burglars breaking into Kevin McCallister's home in classic Christmas movie Home Alone, is in legal trouble in real life.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
By 2001 coyotes were so much in the news in the Windy City that in that year Chicago homeowners listed them—not street gangs, not burglars, but coyotes—as the single greatest threat to their safety.
—Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burglars
Noun
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Long-haul and overnight flights, for example, give thieves ample time and opportunity to peruse through suitcases and personal item bags while passengers are asleep, says Figgins.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
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The music video interposes clips of a nation on fire—thieves and looters running rampant, protesters spitting in cops’ faces—with footage of Aldean and his band playing in front of a courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, vowing to deliver justice.—
Mitch Therieau,
New Yorker,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Deputies believe the vehicle and a woman who was with him were walking out after eating when they were confronted by three masked robbers.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Burglars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burglars. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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