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housebreaking

British  
/ ˈhaʊsˌbreɪkɪŋ /

noun

  1. criminal law the act of entering a building as a trespasser for an unlawful purpose. Assimilated with burglary, 1968

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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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.

Housebreaking pandemic puppies during quarantine or socializing sensitive shelter dogs at a distance only amplified their distress.

From Washington Post

To kids, an R rating for violence is like the Parental Advisory on CDs: a Good Housebreaking Seal of Approval.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Housebreaking is entirely out of my province," Tranter objected.

From The Crooked House by Fleming, Brandon

Housebreaking in English law is to be distinguished from burglary, in that it is not essential that it should be committed at night, nor in a dwelling-house.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary" by Various

Definitions 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.