burglar

noun

Definition of burglarnext
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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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 film follows a Polish burglar who assumes the identity of a dead stranger’s girlfriend, with unexpected results. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026 Europe’s weak spots While the problem is global, European galleries are particularly enticing for burglars, according to Brand. — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026 The burglars dropped the other two paintings—the 1895 Portrait of Madame Pichon and the 1905 Coco Lisant—in the garden of the museum while making their escape. — News Desk, Artforum, 12 Oct. 2026 In 1824, the British lockmaker Charles Chubb challenged a burglar, who was imprisoned on a ship, to open one of his toughest locks. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for burglar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burglar
  1. thief
  2. robber
Noun
  • French President Emmanuel Macron gave a warning this week that thieves would be apprehended.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The new series picks up four years later, as Assane is released and pledges to go straight and repair his relationship with his family, only for a copycat thief to once more drag him to the criminal side.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of thief
Noun
  • Romero retired from the NYPD as a detective in 2001, a year after he was shot while off duty by armed robbers at his family-run laundromat in Brooklyn, law enforcement sources told ABC New York City station WABC.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The series opens from the police perspective, but later the story rewinds and is told through the eyes of the robbers and and their hostages inside the bank.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of robber

Browse Nearby Words

burghers
burglar
burglaries
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Cite this Entry

“Burglar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burglar. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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