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
broke in; broken in; breaking in; breaks in
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
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
Taylor Romine, CNN, 22 Mar. 2025
The man who attempted the break-in ran to another man across the street and one of them fired at the fleeing vehicle, wounding the driver, authorities said.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2025
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2025
Furious race to the finale With the 4 Nations break in February forcing a condensed NHL schedule that has had the Wild playing on a mostly every-other-night pace for the past six weeks, Fleury cannot fathom how rapidly the end of the ride is approaching.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break-in
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Noun
Three of Mortensen’s roommates and a boyfriend of one of the students would be found dead inside the house the next morning on November 13, 2022 — stabbed to death with no signs of a break-in.
—Taylor Romine, CNN, 22 Mar. 2025
The man who attempted the break-in ran to another man across the street and one of them fired at the fleeing vehicle, wounding the driver, authorities said.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
The ship broke in half and sank nearly three hours later.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2025
Furious race to the finale With the 4 Nations break in February forcing a condensed NHL schedule that has had the Wild playing on a mostly every-other-night pace for the past six weeks, Fleury cannot fathom how rapidly the end of the ride is approaching.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break-in
Cite this Entry
“Break-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/break-in. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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