breaking in

present participle of break in
1
as in invading
to enter a house or building by force usually with illegal intent the burglars broke in by smashing a window

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2
as in interrupting
to cause a disruption in a conversation or discussion he rudely broke in to drop the names of several celebrities that he had met

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking in
Verb
  • Led by Marcel Malanga's father, Christian Malanga, a Congolese political exile who ordinarily lived in Utah, the group of men attacked the home of a senior Congolese politician on May 19, 2024, before invading Kinshasa's sprawling presidential complex.
    NPR's International Desk, NPR, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Just a few decades later, however, historic records describe sand dunes and scrublands invading the green valleys, water shortages, and in 1578 a massive El Niño flood that nearly ended the young colony.
    Ari Caramanica, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The use of these methods allows updates and new feature integrations to run smoothly without interrupting current operations.
    Roshan Mahant, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
  • Kentucky’s other glaring issue is interrupting the passing lanes.
    The Athletic, The Athletic, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • One of Mangione’s attorneys told a judge that government officials, including New York Mayor Eric Adams, have turned Mangione into a political pawn, robbing him of his rights as a defendant and tainting the jury pool.
    Michael R. Sisak and Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Cops have arrested a motorist accused of attacking and robbing an NYPD traffic enforcement agent of his electronic summons book after getting a ticket on a busy Queens street, police said Friday.
    Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 20 Dec. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Breaking in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20in. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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