What does burgling mean?
Burgling is the present participle and gerund of the verb 'burgle', meaning to break into a building in order to steal from it. The word belongs overwhelmingly to British English, where 'burgle' is the standard everyday verb for what Americans call 'burglarize'; across the Atlantic, readers are far more likely to encounter 'burglarizing' than 'burgling'. In practice, 'burgling' appears most often in news reporting and legal contexts — police bulletins describe suspects caught burgling homes, courts hear of defendants charged with burgling offices or sheds — but it also serves as a plain descriptive term in ordinary conversation. Its register is neutral rather than slangy, carrying the same serious connotation as its noun relative 'burglary': unlawful entry into private property with intent to steal. What makes the word etymologically charming is its age: despite sounding old-fashioned, 'burgle' is a relatively recent creation, back-formed in the nineteenth century from the older noun 'burglar', which itself derives ultimately from Latin roots relating to house-breaking.
verb (present participle and gerund of 'burgle')The present participle of the verb 'burgle': to break into a building in order to steal from it. It describes the act of committing burglary against a home or premises.
- To break into a building with intent to steal (present participle of 'burgle').
- As a gerund: the act of committing burglary considered as an activity or offense.
"Police are searching for two suspects who were burgling houses along the canal while residents slept."
"They returned from holiday to find that someone had been burgling the flats on their street all summer."
"Repeated reports of youths burgling garages prompted the council to install better street lighting."
'Burgle' is so young a word that it was actually back-formed from 'burglar' — the thief came first, and the verb was invented afterwards.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of burgling
Burgling is the -ing form of 'burgle', which is not an ancient word at all but a nineteenth-century back-formation from 'burglar'. 'Burglar' itself entered English around the early sixteenth century, likely via Anglo-Latin legal usage, with roots traceable to Latin words connected with breaking into dwellings. The back-formed verb 'burgle' gained firm footing in Victorian Britain, giving English the unusual situation of the agent noun predating the verb named after it.
Related word forms
How burgling is actually used
Chiefly British; American English strongly prefers 'burglarizing' (from 'burglarize') for the same meaning, making this one of the clearest transatlantic vocabulary divides in everyday criminal-law vocabulary.
Easily confused with burgling
Mugging is robbery committed against a person in public, whereas burgling means breaking into a building or property to steal.