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Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Crimes & Offences

Burglary

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/ˈbɜːɡləri/nounCore term

In criminal law & justice, burglary means: The crime of entering a building without permission in order to steal or commit another crime inside.

In Turkish: konuta girerek hırsızlık, ev soygunu, işyerine girerek hırsızlık

How it is used

Very common in police work: 'domestic burglary' (homes) and 'commercial burglary' (shops and offices). The person is a 'burglar' and the verb is 'burgle' (UK) or 'burglarize' (US). Victims say 'my house was burgled' or 'broken into'.

Example sentences

  1. Burglary rates usually rise in winter, when it gets dark early.

  2. The burglar got in through an open kitchen window.

  3. He has two previous convictions for burglary.

Common collocations

  • domestic burglary
  • commit a burglary
  • burglary suspect
  • aggravated burglary
  • report a burglary
  • theftThe crime of taking someone else's property without permission and with the intention of keeping it.
  • robberyThe crime of stealing from a person or place by using force or the threat of force.
  • crime sceneThe place where a crime happened, where police and forensic experts look for evidence before anything is moved.
  • fingerprintThe pattern of lines on the end of a finger, or the mark it leaves on a surface, which police use to identify people.

More terms: Crimes & Offences

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.