housebreaker

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

housebreaker — 名詞

  • housebreakersingular
  • housebreakersplural

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

1.名詞C1
釋義

竊賊；夜盜

破門入侵民宅行竊的人

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.

趁全家人在樓上熟睡時，一名竊賊從 Adina 的臥室窗戶爬了進去。

subject of an action verb describing the break-in

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

警方逮到那名夜盜躲在 Theo 家後院的工具間裡，手上還拎著一袋珠寶。

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

拆屋工人

專門拆除老舊房屋或建築的工人

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.

Caio 當了十年的拆屋工人，沿著河邊拆除一棟又一棟的老工廠。

subject + worked as a housebreaker — career context

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

市政府雇用了一批熟練的拆屋工人，先拆掉廢棄的醫院，再蓋新的圖書館。

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.