anti-burglary

IPA/ˌæn.tiˈbɜː.ɡlər.i/
IPA/ˌæn.taɪˈbɝː.ɡlɚ.i/

anti-burglary — adjective

1. made or used to stop criminals from breaking into homes, shops, or other buildin

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

made or used to stop criminals from breaking into homes, shops, or other buildings and stealing things that do not belong to them

Example

The Watanabe family installed anti-burglary bars on all their ground-floor windows after the recent break-ins.

anti-burglary + noun (bars / locks / alarm / camera)

Hoa bought a smart anti-burglary camera that sends alerts to her phone whenever someone approaches the front door.

Common collocations
  • anti-burglary alarm
  • anti-burglary camera
  • anti-burglary lock
  • anti-burglary bars
  • anti-burglary door
  • anti-burglary window
  • anti-burglary system
  • anti-burglary shutter
  • anti-burglary grille
  • fit anti-burglary + noun
  • install anti-burglary + noun
Synonyms
  • security

    a broader term covering protection against any crime or danger; a security camera may serve purposes beyond burglary prevention

  • burglar-proof

    suggests total resistance to break-in, whereas anti-burglary measures only reduce the risk

Grammar Patterns

anti-burglary + noun

Usage Note

Always used before a noun. Common nouns that pair with this compound include alarm, camera, lock, bars, door, window, shutter, grille, and system.

Common Mistakes

They installed an antiburglary system.
They installed an anti-burglary system.
The compound usually keeps the hyphen between anti- and burglary.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

While all three words relate to protection against crime, anti-burglary specifically targets break-ins to buildings and is used as a compound adjective before a noun (anti-burglary bars, anti-burglary alarm). Security is far broader — it covers any safety measure against crime, accidents, or data loss, and can be an adjective or noun. Burglar-proof makes a stronger claim, suggesting that no burglar can succeed; anti-burglary only aims to reduce the chance of a break-in. Theft-deterrent focuses on discouraging any kind of stealing (including shoplifting or car theft), not just burglary. For example: 'Their anti-burglary camera recorded two strangers trying the back door.' But: 'The museum's security team uses both guards and cameras.' And: 'No lock is truly burglar-proof, but good ones slow a thief down.'

security ↗burglar-prooftheft-deterrent

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • fit anti-burglary + noun
  • install anti-burglary + noun

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Formed by joining the prefix anti- (from Greek antí, meaning 'against') with the noun burglary (from Anglo-Latin burgaria, related to burgare 'to break into a house'). The compound began appearing in the late 19th century as home-security products became common.

First known use

1853

1853, in the meaning defined above