housebreaker

/ˈhaʊsbreɪkə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhaʊsbreɪkər/ (ame, ipa) · /-kə(r)/ (ame, mw)

housebreaker — noun

  • housebreakersingular
  • housebreakersplural

1. someone who forces their way into another person's home, usually at night, to st

1.名詞C1
釋義

someone who forces their way into another person's home, usually at night, to steal money or valuables.

例句

A housebreaker climbed through Adina's bedroom window while the family slept upstairs.

subject of an action verb describing the break-in

Police caught the housebreaker hiding in Theo's garden shed with a bag of jewellery.

collocation: caught the housebreaker

同義詞
  • burglar

    more common general term, especially in American English

  • intruder

    broader — anyone who enters without permission, not necessarily to steal

  • thief

    general term for any stealer; doesn't imply breaking into a building

文法句型

a housebreaker + verb

用法筆記

More common in British English; American English typically prefers 'burglar'. Often used in news and police reports rather than everyday conversation.

常見錯誤

❌The housebreaker broke the window of my car.
✅The thief broke the window of my car.
💡housebreaker refers only to someone entering a house or building, not a vehicle.
❌She is a housebreaker who steals from shops at night.
✅She is a shoplifter who steals from shops at night.
💡housebreakers target private homes, not shops or businesses.

2. a worker whose job is to tear down old houses or buildings so the land can be cl

2.名詞C2
釋義

a worker whose job is to tear down old houses or buildings so the land can be cleared or rebuilt on.

例句

Caio worked for ten years as a housebreaker, knocking down old factories along the riverside.

subject + worked as a housebreaker — career context

The city hired skilled housebreakers to take down the abandoned hospital before the new library was built.

collocation: hire / skilled housebreakers

同義詞
  • wrecker

    more common everyday term for the same job

  • demolition worker

    neutral modern phrase; preferred in news and job listings

反義詞
  • builder

    puts up structures rather than tearing them down

文法句型

a housebreaker + verb

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 by job context — appears alongside words like 'crew', 'demolition', 'rebuilding'. This sense is uncommon today; 'wrecker' or 'demolition worker' is far more frequent.

常見錯誤

❌A housebreaker designed the new shopping centre.
✅An architect designed the new shopping centre.
💡housebreakers tear buildings down, not design or build them.