break-in

1 of 2

noun

1
: the act or action of breaking in
a rash of break-ins at the new apartment house
2
: a performance or a series of performances serving as a trial run
3
: an initial period of operation during which working parts begin to function efficiently

break in

2 of 2

verb

broke in; broken in; breaking in; breaks in

intransitive verb

1
: to enter something (such as a building or computer system) without consent or by force
2
a
: intrude
break in upon his privacy
b
: to interrupt a conversation
3
: to start in an activity or enterprise
breaking in as a cub reporter

transitive verb

1
: to accustom to a certain activity or occurrence
break in the new clerk
2
: to overcome the stiffness or newness of
break in a pair of shoes

Examples of break-in in a Sentence

Verb the burglars broke in by smashing a window he rudely broke in to drop the names of several celebrities that he had met
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Investigators say Chilean or South American crews are also behind hundreds of break-ins in Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Diego counties. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024 At the time of Fabio's murder in 2017, L.A was plagued with break-ins from notorious teams of criminals. Michelle Miller, CBS News, 9 Mar. 2024 The fire station door was boarded up after the break-in. Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 Police data shows that larceny theft, which includes retail theft and car break-ins, is down 37% from this time last year. Veronica Miracle, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Those break-ins are part of more than 3,500 major property crimes reported in January, according to the Memphis Police Department. Ashley R. Williams and Victor Blackwell, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 But critics argue the proposal would violate the constitutional right to bear arms by making firearms difficult to access in potentially life-threatening situations, such as home break-ins. Samantha Young, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 The burglary call was the third break-in that morning at the business on the 400 block of Embarcadero, near 5th Avenue. Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 At the time, Hartsfield told the Union-Tribune and other news outlets his truck and office had been hit by break-ins, vandalism and theft shortly before the fire. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
Jar of Flies makes Billboard history Alice in Chains returned home from touring in support of Dirt in 1993, and decided to record some quiet new material to help break in Inez as their new bassist. Spin Contributor, SPIN, 22 Mar. 2024 Easing into a feral frenzy, Sydney Sweeney proves a hard habit to break in ‘Immaculate’ — in theaters Friday. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 And, Bravo says, a new chef will try to break in, too. Steven Martinez, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024 It’s meant for professionals or students who want to break in the industry. Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024 Once they're broken in, these sandals will be your first choice for any spring travel day. Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2024 The protestors took a stand during a unique break in the play in which a bar is brought out on stage and theatergoers are offered the chance to have a drink as its characters mill about. EW.com, 15 Mar. 2024 Some symptoms of the disease might include a lump in the arm, leg, chest or pelvis, or a break in a bone. Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 The signing completes the Heat’s midseason makeover at the guard position, trading for Terry Rozier in late January, adding Delon Wright on the buyout market during the All-Star break in February and then signing Mills this week. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'break-in.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1535, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of break-in was circa 1535

Dictionary Entries Near break-in

Cite this Entry

“Break-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/break-in. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

break-in

1 of 2 noun
ˈbrā-ˌkin
: an act or instance of breaking in

break in

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)brā-ˈkin
1
: to enter a house or building by force
2
a
: to make used to an activity
breaking in a new employee
b
: to overcome the newness or stiffness of
breaking in a new pair of shoes

Legal Definition

break-in

1 of 2 noun
ˈbrāk-ˌin
: the act or action of breaking in

break in

2 of 2 intransitive verb
: to enter something (as a building or computer system) without privilege (as consent) or by force

More from Merriam-Webster on break-in

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