burglary

burglary — noun

1. the offense of going into a home, shop, or other building without permission in

1.nounB2
Definition

the offense of going into a home, shop, or other building without permission in order to steal something.

Example

Police linked the burglary to muddy shoe prints outside the kitchen window.

link a burglary to physical evidence

After the burglary, Priya found her jewelry box empty on the bedroom floor.

Common collocations
  • commit burglary
  • report a burglary
  • investigate a burglary
  • burglary at a house
Synonyms
  • break-in

    an everyday term for one event, less formal than burglary

  • housebreaking

    narrower and somewhat old-fashioned; usually about entering a home

  • theft

    broader; something can be stolen without entering a building

Grammar Patterns

commit burglary

a burglary at/in + place

charge someone with burglary

Usage Note

Often follows verbs like 'commit', 'report', and 'investigate', and it commonly appears with place phrases such as 'at the shop' or 'in the apartment block'. Distinguish from robbery: burglary focuses on unlawful entry into a building to steal, while robbery involves force or threat against people.

Common Mistakes

The old man lost his wallet in a burglary on the bus.
The old man lost his wallet in a robbery on the bus.
burglary happens inside a building after unlawful entry, not when something is taken directly from someone in a public place.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Burglary is more specific than theft. Theft is any act of stealing, but burglary adds the idea of entering a building without permission in order to steal. Robbery is different again because it involves force or threat against a person. Break-in is the everyday word for one event and sounds less legal than burglary, which is common in police reports and court language. Housebreaking is narrower and a bit old-fashioned, usually referring to getting into a home. If someone enters a closed shop at night and takes cash, that is burglary. If someone grabs a phone from your hand in the street, that is robbery or theft, not burglary.

theft ↗robbery ↗break-inhousebreaking

Common collocations

Nouns

  • burglary charge
  • burglary suspect
  • burglary case
  • burglary rate

Phrases

  • commit burglary
  • report a burglary
  • investigate a burglary

Prepositions

  • burglary at
  • burglary in

Etymology

Medieval LatinAnglo-FrenchEnglish

Burglary came into English through Anglo-French. It is related to an earlier Medieval Latin form built from a verb meaning to break into a house, and English later used the ending -y to name the crime itself.