burglar meaning

burglar means 'a person who illegally enters a building to steal things'.

burglar :

a thief who breaks into buildings to steal

noun

▪ The burglar entered the house through the window.

▪ The thief went into the house through the window.

▪ The police caught the burglar last night.

▪ The police caught the thief last night.

paraphrasing

▪ thief – a person who steals

▪ intruder – someone who enters without permission

▪ robber – one who steals by force or threat of force

▪ criminal – a person who commits crimes

burglar

Pronunciation

burglar [ˈbɜːr.ɡlər]

The stress is on the first syllable 'burg' and sounds like 'BURG-lər'.

Common phrases and grammar about burglar

burglar - Common meaning

noun
a thief who breaks into buildings to steal

Part of Speech Changes for "burglar"

▪ burglary (noun) – the act of breaking into buildings to steal

▪ burglarize (verb) – to commit burglary

Common Expressions with "burglar"

▪ caught a burglar – arrested a thief

▪ report a burglary – inform about a theft

▪ prevent burglars – stop thieves from entering

▪ suspect a burglar – think someone is a thief

Important examples of burglar in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, burglar refers to a person who steals by breaking into buildings.

▪The burglar entered the office after hours.
▪The thief came into the office after hours.

Example of a confusing word: burglarize (to commit burglary)

▪The burglarize entered the office after hours.
▪The act of breaking into the office occurred after hours.
"Burglar" is a noun meaning "a person who illegally enters a building to steal." In the sentence "The burglar entered the office after hours," it correctly identifies the person committing the act. "Burglarize" is a verb meaning "to commit burglary," and using it as a noun in "The burglarize entered" is grammatically incorrect. The sentence would require restructuring to use "burglarize" correctly, such as "The office was burglarized after hours." Thus, "burglar" is the correct choice for identifying the person involved in the act.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

Burglar is used as a noun to identify the person committing the theft.

▪The burglar stole valuable items from the office.
▪The thief took valuable items from the office.

burglar

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

home burglar

a thief who enters homes

▪The home burglar broke a window to enter.
▪The house thief broke a window to enter.

catch a burglar

arrest a thief on the act

▪The police managed to catch the burglar before he left.
▪The police managed to catch the thief before he left.

Differences between similar words and burglar

burglar

,

thief

differences

burglar is someone who breaks into buildings to steal, while thief is someone who steals in general.

burglar
▪The burglar broke into the store.
▪He broke into the store to steal.
thief
▪The thief stole the wallet.
▪He took the wallet from the man.

burglar

,

robber – someone who steals with force or threats.

differences

burglar breaks into buildings to steal, robber steals using force or threats.

burglar
▪The burglar entered through the window.
▪He threatened with a gun to get money.
robber – someone who steals with force or threats.
▪The robber demanded money at gunpoint.
▪He threatened with a gun to get money.

Words with the same origin as burglar

The origin of burglar

burglar comes from the word 'burg', meaning a building, and 'lar', meaning one who enters.

Word structure

The word is composed of 'burg' (building) and 'lar' (one who enters).

Words with the same origin

The root of burglar is 'burg' meaning building. Words with the same root include 'borough' and 'burgle'.

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