break-in
noun
an illegal entry into a home, car, office, etc.
break-in
American
[breyk-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:
Hugging Face discovered the break-in early last week, saying there had been unauthorized access to internal data sets and company credentials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
A man accused of nabbing unreleased music by Beyoncé in a vehicle break-in last summer has pleaded guilty to the theft and has been sentenced to serve time in prison.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
“That break-in period gives them enough time to test the shoes themselves.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
On Monday, police announced Nichols faces an additional charge after a witness came forward to report a separate encounter involving their child on April 5, two days before the break-in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
The truth was also coming out about Nixon’s cover-up of the Watergate break-in.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
Burglars tried to break in to the Barcelona home of Spain star Lamine Yamal on Wednesday, shortly after he helped La Roja reach their second World Cup final, police and media said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
The half-time break in Sunday's World Cup final is expected to last between 20 and 25 minutes.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
“I’m telling clients this is the best summer-camp tax break in years, and most of them don’t know it exists yet,” said Jeff Judge, managing partner at Chesapeake Financial Planners in Forest Hill, Md.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Vance pushed for a break in the talks to allow the Iranians time to consider the proposals, not because of Trump’s post, the official said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
The pirate leader finishes his speech, there’s a break in the scene, a cut to the commercials.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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
Sacher, operations manager at the popular sports bar Barney’s Beanery, which he said suffered four or five overnight break-ins in 2020 and 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 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
An epidemic of car break-ins led owners to post “No Radio” signs in their windows, and auto alarms blared indignantly at all hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
The Hartliebs will not hear anything from me—not unless I hear about any strange break-ins over the next few week.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
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.
