burglarize

en-verb

burglarize (third-person singular simple present burglarizes, present participle burglarizing, simple past and past participle burglarized)

burglarizes (present singular third-person)
burglarizing (participle present)
burglarized (participle past)
burglarized (past)

/ˈbɜː(ɹ)ɡləɹaɪz/

People who would now attempt to burglarize in top-boots, would be as mad as if they were to adopt that costume for picking pockets.

1829 July 5, [ William Hazlitt ?], “The Advantages of Committing Burglary in cuerpo Elucidated”, in The Atlas, London, page 442:

[M]en exclaim against you as the most bungling of "cabbagers" ... that ever burglarised upon the property of Shakespeare!

1839 December 7, "Mustard-Seed", “To Sir Charles Shaw, K. C. T. S., &c., &c.”, in Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, Manchester, page 6:

In this dilemma there were but two resources open to the infuriated stewards, -- one to carry the key vi et armis; the other, to burglarize the cellar.

1840 May 1, "Shamrock", “Steeple-Chasing in Ireland”, in The Sporting Review, London, page 364:

Deaseley Brothers & Dodge, wholesale dry goods store, was burglarized last night, and three thousand dollars worth of silks taken. No arrests.

1856 November 1, Louisville Daily Courier, Louisville, KY, page 3:

I also told you my house had been thoroughly burglarized three times,

1856 December 16, "The London Scoundrel", “A Plea for the Gallows (Letter to the Editor)”, in The Times, London, page 10:

We see in a telegraphic despatch from across the boundary line that a store was "burglarized" a short time ago.

1865 September 20, Upper Canada Law Journal, Toronto, page 228:

Burglarize, to, a term creeping into journalism. ... The word has a dangerous rival in the shorter burgle.

1872, M. Schele De Vere, Americanisms: The English of the New World, New York: Charles Scribner, page 587:

During a recent burglary epidemic a police superintendent one night made a tour of inspection through the burglarised district.

1903 March 31, “From Day To Day”, in The Express and Telegraph, Adelaide, page 1:

This attempt to burglarize the house betrayed the caliber of the enemy.

1922, Victor Appleton, chapter 9, in Tom Swift And His Electric Locomotive, New York: Grossett and Dunlap, page 82:

Police said they believed the woman interrupted Harvey as he attempted to burglarize nearby cars.

2007 December 14, Robert Muirhead, “Man sent to prison for robbing woman at gunpoint”, in Journal Inquirer.com, Connecticut, page 228:

(transitive, intransitive, chiefly Canada, US) To commit burglary.


theft

en-noun

theft (countable and uncountable, plural thefts)

From Middle English theft, thefte, þefte, þefþe, þiefþe, Old English þīefþ, from Proto-West Germanic *þiubiþu, from Proto-Germanic *þiubiþō, from *þeubaz (“thief”), equivalent to thief + -th or thieve + -th. Cognate with Old Frisian thiuvethe, thiufthe (“theft”), dialectal Dutch diefte (“theft”), obsolete German Diebde (“theft”), Icelandic þýfð (“theft”).

resource theft

Bike theft is on the rise.

A suspect was arrested for the theft of a gold necklace.

If you steal a candy bar, you are guilty of theft, regardless of the value.

2007 July 5, Charles Hugh Smith, When Lies Become Normal, Is Truth Dead or Just in Hiding?:


graverobber

/ˈɡɹeɪvˌɹɒbə/

/ˈɡɹeɪvˌɹɑbɚ/

One who robs graves or tombs in order to sell the contents for profit.


larceny

larceny (countable and uncountable, plural larcenies)

Coined in Middle English (as larceni) between 1425 and 1475 from Anglo-Norman larcin (“theft”), from Latin latrocinium (“robbery”), from latro (“robber, mercenary”), from Ancient Greek λάτρον (látron, “pay, hire”).

der

“Why are you walking around,” inquired Oedipa, “with your eyes closed, Metzger?” “Larceny,” Metzger said, “maybe they'll need a lawyer.”

1966 March, Thomas Pynchon, chapter 3, in The Crying of Lot 49, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC, page 37:

He was prudent enough not to admit he was earning money, which went down well with you, for you knew already he was working “black,” as the Germans call it — meaning illegally, and at night. Shrewd chap, you thought; resourceful; not above a bit of larceny.

(law, uncountable) The unlawful taking of personal property as an attempt to deprive the legal owner of it permanently.

кражба

law: unlawful taking of personal property


robbery

en-noun

robbery (countable and uncountable, plural robberies)

From Middle English robberie, robry, roberie, from Old French roberie, from the verb rober (“to steal; to pillage”) + -ie. Ultimately from unattested Frankish *raubōn. By surface analysis, rob + -ery. Compare Dutch roverij (“robbery”), Norwegian Bokmål røveri (“robbery”), German Räuberei (“robbery, banditry”).
Displaced native Old English rēaflāc.

bank robbery

(crime) The offense of taking or attempting to take the property of another by force or threat of force.

røveriforsøg

attempt of taking the property of another by threat


steal

From Middle English stelen, from Old English stelan, from Proto-West Germanic *stelan, from Proto-Germanic *stelaną.
Compare West Frisian stelle, Low German stehlen, Dutch stelen, German stehlen, Danish stjæle, Swedish stjäla, Norwegian Bokmål stjele, Norwegian Nynorsk stela, Sanskrit स्तेय (steya); see below for more.
For the meaning development compare with Russian красть (krastʹ, “to steal”) and Russian кра́сться (krástʹsja, “to stalk, to prowl, to slink”).
etymology notes
Proposed etymologies beyond Germanic are numerous and include
* Proto-Indo-European *ster-: compare Welsh herw (“theft, raid”), Ancient Greek στερέω (steréō, “to deprive of”)
* Proto-Indo-European *stel(H)- (“to stretch”): compare Albanian pë/mbështjell (“I confuse, mess up, mix, wrap up”), Old Church Slavonic стєлѭ (steljǫ, “I spread out (bed, roof)”), Ancient Greek τηλία (tēlía, “playing table”)
* Proto-Indo-European *tsel- (“to sneak”): compare Sanskrit त्सरति (tsárati, “creep, sneak up on”) and other forms under Pokorny 5. *sel- "schleichen, kriechen"


footpaddery

The smugglers were a lawless and desperate body, but they did not, as a rule, descend to footpaddery or robbery.

Not just a little footpaddery, but robbery on the grand scale.

2001, Wilbur Smith, The Angels Weep, →ISBN:

Whilst descriptions of 'The West End Fair Gang', and freferences to the 'Captain of the Gan' John Henley, recall models of criminal confederacy evoked in earlier accounts of highway robbery and footpaddery, these events, wrapped as they were in the language of hustling, also reflect some of the newer concerns about public space in this period.

2015, Heather Shore, London's Criminal Underworlds, c. 1720 - c. 1930, →ISBN, page 78:

(historical) The crime of robbing travelers on the road.