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
Cops charged Hyacinthe with car theft, possession of burglar’s tools, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, criminal trespass and weapons possession.
—
Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
And even at the time, Forsyth said, the individual daring of the burglars only made a difference because of all the other people who had mobilized to fight for a better society.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
The burglar suffered a wound to the right calf, and was taekn to UChicago Medicine where he was listed in good condition, police said.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
She and her husband Thomas Deluca were shot to death in July after confronting a burglar in their Encino home.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for burglar
Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
And even at the time, Forsyth said, the individual daring of the burglars only made a difference because of all the other people who had mobilized to fight for a better society.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
The burglar suffered a wound to the right calf, and was taekn to UChicago Medicine where he was listed in good condition, police said.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
She and her husband Thomas Deluca were shot to death in July after confronting a burglar in their Encino home.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for burglar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burglar
Noun
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Karen Piper Mitchell, a deputy state’s attorney, said witnesses in the car told authorities the argument was over a gun that a friend of Wells had stolen from Webber, and that Webber was upset Wells was still friends with the thief.—
Brian Witte,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
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Karen Piper Mitchell, a deputy state's attorney, said witnesses in the car told authorities the argument was over a gun that a friend of Wells had stolen from Webber, and that Webber was upset Wells was still friends with the thief.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Police said the robber was seen leaving the area in a gray 2020 Cadillac CT6.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
3 Apr. 2026
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Yet key dramatic moments—a shooting, the robbers’ realization that the bank vault is empty—occurred in a hallway invisible to the audience, described secondhand.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Burglar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burglar. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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