burgle
verb /ˈbɜːɡl/
/ˈbɜːrɡl/
(British English) (North American English burglarize
/ˈbɜːɡləraɪz/
/ˈbɜːrɡləraɪz/
)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they burgle | /ˈbɜːɡl/ /ˈbɜːrɡl/ |
| he / she / it burgles | /ˈbɜːɡlz/ /ˈbɜːrɡlz/ |
| past simple burgled | /ˈbɜːɡld/ /ˈbɜːrɡld/ |
| past participle burgled | /ˈbɜːɡld/ /ˈbɜːrɡld/ |
| -ing form burgling | /ˈbɜːɡlɪŋ/ /ˈbɜːrɡlɪŋ/ |
- burgle somebody/something to enter a building illegally, usually using force, and steal from it
- We were burgled while we were away (= our house was burgled).
- The house next door was burgled.
Collocations CrimeCrimeCommitting a crimeTopics Crime and punishmentb1- commit a crime/a murder/a violent assault/a brutal killing/an armed robbery/fraud
- be involved in terrorism/a suspected arson attack/people smuggling/human trafficking
- engage/participate in criminal activity/illegal practices/acts of mindless vandalism
- steal somebody’s wallet/purse/(British English) mobile phone/(North American English) cell phone
- rob a bank/a person/a tourist
- break into/ (British English) burgle/ (North American English) burglarize a house/a home/an apartment
- hijack a plane/ship/bus
- smuggle drugs/weapons/arms/immigrants
- launder drug money (through something)
- forge documents/certificates/passports
- take/accept/pay somebody/offer (somebody) a bribe
- run a phishing/an email/an internet scam
- combat/fight crime/terrorism/corruption/drug trafficking
- prevent/stop credit-card fraud/child abuse/software piracy
- deter/stop criminals/burglars/thieves/shoplifters/vandals
- reduce/tackle/crack down on knife/gun/violent/street crime; (especially British English) antisocial behaviour
- foil a bank raid/a terrorist plot
- help/support/protect the victims of crime
- report a crime/a theft/a rape/an attack/(especially British English) an incident to the police
- witness the crime/attack/murder/incident
- investigate a murder/(especially North American English) a homicide/a burglary/a robbery/the alleged incident
- conduct/launch/pursue an investigation (into…); (especially British English) a police/murder inquiry
- investigate/reopen a criminal/murder case
- examine/investigate/find fingerprints at the crime scene/the scene of crime
- collect/gather forensic evidence
- uncover new evidence/a fraud/a scam/a plot/a conspiracy/political corruption/a cache of weapons
- describe/identify a suspect/the culprit/the perpetrator/the assailant/the attacker
- question/interrogate a suspect/witness
- solve/crack the case
Word Originlate 19th cent.: originally a humorous and colloquial back-formation from burglar.