burgle
gb/bˈɚɡəl/ us/bˈɚɡəl/
C1
English
betör, betörést követ el
VERB
C1
1
betör
B1
Usage pattern:
burgle [a house/flat/shop/office]
Someone burgled our house while we were on holiday.
Valaki betört a házunkba, amíg nyaralni voltunk.
Two teenagers were arrested for burgling a local shop.
Két tinédzsert letartóztattak azért, mert betörtek egy helyi boltba.
The office was burgled overnight and several laptops were taken.
Learner examples
A man tried to burgle the house.
Egy férfi megpróbált betörni a házba.
Our flat was burgled last night.
Tegnap éjjel betörtek a lakásunkba.
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse burgle with rob: you burgle a building (house/shop), but you rob a person or a bank (take by threat/force).
Meaning
Break into a building to steal
Collocations
burgle a house
|burgle a home
|burgle a flat
|burgle an apartment
|burgle a shop
|burgle a store
|burgle an office
|burgle a bank
|attempt to burgle
|be burgled
Synonyms
break into (More general; does not always imply stealing.)
|
burglarize (Common US equivalent; less common in UK English.)
Antonyms
secure (Opposite idea: make a place safe against break-ins.)
|
protect (Opposite idea: keep a place safe from crime.)
Themes
crime
|law
|home
Definition
to go into a building illegally to steal
To enter a building illegally, usually by force, in order to steal things from it.
VERB
C1
2
Usage pattern:
burgle (in/around [a place])
The police believe the same group has been burgling in the area for months.
A rendőrség szerint ugyanaz a banda hónapok óta betöréseket követ el a környéken.
He admitted that he used to burgle to pay off his debts.
Beismerte, hogy régebben betöréseket követett el, hogy kifizesse az adósságait.
Learner examples
They were caught burgling at night.
Éjszaka betörés közben kapták el őket.
Common mistake:
It is more common to say what was burgled (e.g., a house). This intransitive use is less frequent.
Meaning
Commit burglary
Collocations
burgle in the area
|burgle locally
|burgle regularly
|go out burgling
|a gang that burgles
|burgle at night
|burgle for cash
|burgle to fund a habit
Synonyms
steal (Much broader; not specifically entering a building.)
Antonyms
obey the law (Opposite behavior in general.)
Themes
crime
|law
Definition
to do burglary
To commit burglary as an activity, without stating the specific building that was entered.
Grammar
Dictionary form
burgle
IPA
GB/bˈɚɡəl/
US/bˈɚɡəl/
Syllables & stress
burgle (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (burgle)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: burgle
- 3rd Person Singular: burgles
- Present Participle: burgling
- Past: burgled
Word family
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.