housebreak
[ hous-breyk ]
/ ˈhaʊsˌbreɪk /
verb (used with object), house·broke, house·bro·ken, house·break·ing.
to train (a pet) to excrete outdoors or in a specific place.
Nearby words
house-trained, house-warming, houseboat, housebound, houseboy, housebreak, housebreaker, housebreaking, housebroken, housecarl, housecat
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for housebreaking
British Dictionary definitions for housebreaking
housebreaking
/ (ˈhaʊsˌbreɪkɪŋ) /
noun
criminal law the act of entering a building as a trespasser for an unlawful purpose. Assimilated with burglary, 1968
Derived Formshousebreaker, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for housebreaking
housebreak
1820, "to break into a house criminally;" see house (n.) + break (v.). Perhaps a back-formation from housebreaker, attested from mid-14c. Sense of "to train a domestic animal to be clean in the house" is from 1881. Related: Housebreaking; housebroken.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper