What does prowler mean?
A prowler is someone or something that moves about quietly and furtively, usually without permission or with a predatory purpose. In everyday use, the word most often describes a person who stalks neighborhoods, watches buildings, or searches for opportunities to steal, so it carries a distinctly suspicious and threatening connotation. It can also be applied to animals, particularly predators that move carefully while hunting. The word is somewhat literary and dramatic, often appearing in crime reports, suspenseful descriptions, or figurative accounts of surveillance and harassment. Although the literal sense of moving stealthily is old, modern English tends to emphasize the prowler's menace rather than simply describing quiet wandering. The expression “night prowler” is especially familiar, evoking someone or something that lurks after dark.
nounA person or animal that moves about stealthily, especially someone who prowls in search of prey, property, or opportunities for wrongdoing. The word often carries a threatening or criminal implication.
- A person who moves about stealthily, especially a criminal or thief who searches for opportunities to steal or cause harm.
- An animal that moves about quietly and furtively, such as a predator searching for prey.
"The police warned residents about a prowler seen near the school after dark."
"A prowler tried the doors of several houses on the block while the residents slept."
"The fox was a patient prowler, waiting near the burrow until the rabbit emerged."
Use the plural when referring to more than one prowler.
"The security guards chased the prowlers away from the building."
A prowler is more than a late-night wanderer: the word carries the unsettling suggestion that someone is moving quietly while looking for something to take.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of prowler
Prowler is an English agent noun formed by adding the suffix -er to the verb prowl, meaning “to move about stealthily or search.” The related verb appears in Middle English in forms such as prowl(en), reflecting older English and medieval French usage. Its development into a noun for a stealthy or criminal person occurred as the verbal sense acquired the familiar agentive meaning “one who prowls.”
How prowler is actually used
The term is somewhat dramatic and may be literary or journalistic. In modern usage it usually suggests someone furtive or threatening, whereas its older literal sense could refer more neutrally to a person or animal that wanders or searches.