Meaning & use
aggravated burglary
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablelegallaw
The crime of entering a building illegally to steal while carrying a weapon or threatening violence.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun: you say 'he was charged with aggravated burglary', not 'an aggravated burglary' in strict legal use.
Patterns
- be charged with aggravated burglary
- commit aggravated burglary
The men were charged with aggravated burglary after they broke into the house carrying a baseball bat.
In this country, aggravated burglary carries a much longer prison sentence than ordinary burglary.
Police are treating the break-in as aggravated burglary because the family was threatened.
nouncountablelegallaw
An instance of this crime, especially as reported in the news.
Grammar: In news reports you often see the countable pattern 'an aggravated burglary' when a specific case is being described.
Patterns
- an aggravated burglary at a house
- report an aggravated burglary
Detectives are investigating an aggravated burglary at a flat in the city center.
There has been a rise in aggravated burglaries involving knives.
Word forms
| plural | aggravated burglaries |
|---|
Common combinations
- be charged with aggravated burglary
- He was charged with aggravated burglary and kept in custody.
- commit aggravated burglary
- The gang committed aggravated burglary at three homes in one night.
- aggravated burglary charge
- She faces an aggravated burglary charge at the crown court.
- a rise in aggravated burglaries
- The area has seen a sharp rise in aggravated burglaries.
Synonyms and how they differ
- burglary
- This is the basic crime of breaking in to steal; aggravated burglary is the more serious version because a weapon or threats are involved.
- home invasion
- Used mainly in American English for a burglary where people are at home and may be threatened; it is not an exact legal match for aggravated burglary.
Word family
- aggravate verb
- To make a situation worse; in law, aggravating factors make an offense more serious.
- aggravating adjective
- Making something worse or more serious, as in 'aggravating circumstances'.
- burglar noun
- A person who breaks into buildings to steal.
- burgle verb
- To enter a building illegally and steal from it.
Commonly confused: aggravated burglary or burglary? aggravated burglary or robbery?
aggravated burglary vs burglary
Burglary alone does not involve a weapon or threats. Aggravated burglary is the more serious form, so the two cannot be used interchangeably in a legal context.
aggravated burglary vs robbery
Robbery means taking something from a person by force or threat, while burglary is about entering a building to steal.
Practice
The gang broke into the house at night and threatened the family with a knife. They were arrested and charged with ______.
Choose one answer.
The weapon and threats make this the more serious offense of aggravated burglary. Plain 'burglary' would leave out the aggravating factor, and 'robbery' refers to taking property directly from a person rather than breaking into a building.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aggravated burglary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.