Jump To:

• break-in
  break-in

  noun

  an illegal entry into a home, car, office, etc.
• break in
  break in

  verb

  (sometimes foll by on) to interrupt

break-in

American  

[breyk-in] / ˈbreɪkˌɪn /

noun

break-ins plural

1. an illegal entry into a home, car, office, etc.

2. break-in period.

---

break in British  

verb

1. (sometimes foll by on) to interrupt

2. (intr) to enter a house, etc, illegally, esp by force

3. (tr) to accustom (a person or animal) to normal duties or practice

4. (tr) to use or wear (shoes, new equipment, etc) until comfortable or running smoothly

5. (tr) to bring (new land) under cultivation

---

noun

1. 1. the illegal entering of a building, esp by thieves

   2. ( as modifier )

      the break-in plans

break in Idioms  

1. Enter by force, as in The thieves broke in through the back door . [Mid-1500s] Also see break into .

2. 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]

3. 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]

4. 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

• break-ins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of break-in

First recorded in 1855–60; noun use of verb phrase break in

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

break-in break in break-ins

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

Martin died last October in a hospital following his arrest by Oakland police officers responding to reports of a break-in at a residence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

The break-in happened before that, and the activists were charged in relation to damage to property.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

David Solomon, a 46-year-old who works in real estate, said he became invested in the mayoral race after break-in attempts at his home in Santa Monica Canyon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet: Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.

From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

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

Against Zizou Bergs in the third round, he faced a 4-1 deficit with a double break in the fourth set, and again fell behind 4-1 in the fifth, before somehow surviving.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 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

But after Wales lost possession, star wing Jiuta Wainiqolo surged away with a second searing break in a few minutes to allow Fiji to force a final onslaught on the Welsh line.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

At the far side of the glade there was a break in the wall of trees, and a clear path beyond it.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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

Skid Row’s only post office has closed after what officials said were repeated break-ins and damage to employee property.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 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

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

Related Words

• burglary
• robbery