empty nest
Literal use for a nest with nothing in it. In modern everyday Japanese, 空き巣 more strongly suggests burglary unless the animal or nest context is explicit.
A nest with no birds in it may literally be called an empty nest.
empty house; empty home
Literal or limited use for a house with nobody at home. For a vacant house, 空き家 is usually clearer; in ordinary modern use 空き巣 often means burglary or burglar.
Here, 空き巣 means a house whose residents are away.
burglary of an empty home; burglar targeting empty homes; sneak thief
Common modern meaning. It can refer either to the act of breaking into a home while no one is there, or to the person who does it; it is an abbreviation related to 空き巣狙い.
See also: 空き巣狙い
Our home was burgled while we were traveling.
The police arrested the burglar who targeted empty homes.
A burglar broke into the neighbor's house while they were out.
We ended up being burglarized while we were traveling.
The police caught the burglar.
Please be careful of burglars before you go on a trip.
空き巣狙い is the full, unambiguous expression for a burglar or burglary targeting an empty home, while 空き巣 is the common shortened form with the same meaning.
泥棒 is the general word for any thief or burglar, while 空き巣 specifically means one who breaks into a home while the occupants are out.
空き巣 specifically means a burglary committed while the occupants are away, whereas 押し入り stresses forcing one's way in, often while people are present.
空き巣 is the modern, concrete word for a sneak thief who enters empty houses, while 忍び in this sense is a dated term for stealthy theft.
Used for incidents or cases, not as a literal physical counter.
Standard modern spelling; especially common for the burglary or burglar sense.
Attested variant without okurigana; less common than 空き巣.
Rare attested variant using 明き for あき; learners should normally write 空き巣.
A transparent compound of 空き, meaning an empty or vacant state, and 巣, meaning nest. The burglary and burglar sense is understood as a shortening related to 空き巣狙い, literally someone who targets an empty home.