From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishburglarbur‧glar /ˈbɜːɡlə $ ˈbɜːrɡlər/ ●●○ noun [countable] STEALsomeone who goes into houses, shops etc to steal things → robber, thief, cat burglar► see thesaurus at thief
Examples from the Corpus
burglar• He got into bed as carefully as a burglar climbing through a window.• A 79-YEAR-OLD man was struck with a hammer by a burglar who broke into his home, Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday.• One does not normally anticipate the presence of a burglar.• Police believe the burglar got in through the kitchen window.• Trying to find out for certain if you were the burglar, and laying a little trap for you if you were.Origin burglar (1500-1600) Anglo-French burgler, from Medieval Latin burglator, from burgare “to burgle”, from Latin burgus “defended place” 