break-in
noun
an illegal entry into a home, car, office, etc.
break-in
American
[brayk-in]
/ ˈbreɪkˌɪn /
break in
British
verb
-
(sometimes foll by on) to interrupt
-
(intr) to enter a house, etc, illegally, esp by force
-
(tr) to accustom (a person or animal) to normal duties or practice
-
(tr) to use or wear (shoes, new equipment, etc) until comfortable or running smoothly
-
(tr) to bring (new land) under cultivation
noun
break in
Idioms
-
Enter by force, as in The thieves broke in through the back door . [Mid-1500s] Also see break into .
-
Also, break in on . Interrupt or disturb something unexpectedly, as in His assistant broke in with the bad news just as we were ready to sign the agreement , or He broke in on our private talks . [Mid-1600s]
-
Train or instruct someone in a new job or enterprise, as in Every semester she had to break in a new teaching assistant . [Late 1700s]
-
Loosen or soften with use, as in It takes a while to break in a pair of new shoes .
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of break-in
First recorded in 1855–60; noun use of verb phrase break in
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Cellular tower near Comanche at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2013, which indicated that Walters was somewhere within approximately 12 miles of the Roebucks’ house just two hours before the break-in.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
The woman alleged that the deputy falsified a break-in report just to visit her home, and he later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges, according to a civil lawsuit and court records.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The break-in process could take even longer given Warsh’s big divergence with past chiefs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
The break-in at Simply Fish & Chips happened at about 02:00 BST on Saturday morning.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
“I’d like to see Black try and break into Honeydukes with dementors swarming all over the village. Anyway, Hermione, the Honeydukes owners would hear a break-in, wouldn’t they? They live over the shop!”
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
Osteoporosis is a bone disease that mostly affects older women and raises the risk that a fall could cause a break in the hip, spine or other bones.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
In their first meeting in just under 16 months, Djokovic initially struggled to handle Zverev's power, and the 29-year-old secured the first set after capitalising on a break in the first game.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
His big break in politics came ahead of Trump’s first presidential bid in 2015, when he joined the fledgling campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
But in old Dubai, where Iranian merchants are firmly established, they do not believe there will be a break in the ties forged over decades between the UAE's financial hub and southern Iran.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
He came to a break in the path with a second, much rougher track leading away from the sea and across the fields.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
Former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper banned the group on advice from the police and security officials after an escalating spate of break-ins targeting Elbit, an Israeli-owned defence firm.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
In Madrid, Karim Benzema, Rodrygo and Dani Carvajal are among the football stars to have suffered break-ins at their homes in recent years.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Brown said the dog was purchased and looked after by his security guards to help protect the house from break-ins, telling the jury: "I get a lot of stalker-type situations."
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Flock CEO Garrett Langley, an electrical engineer, co-founded the company after a series of break-ins in his Atlanta neighborhood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
I’m boring you with all my break-ins, but what can I do when burglars take such pleasure in honoring Gies & Co. with their presence?
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
