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
Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
CinnaMom Bakery suffered property damage and the associated cost of repairs in the break-ins, Beatty said.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 10 Dec. 2025
Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025
With a brief mini-break in the rearview mirror, the Charlotte Hornets got back to action Thursday night, taking on one of their nemeses in the Southeast Division.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break-in
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Noun
Denver District Attorney John Walsh said Olsen was on fentanyl and methamphetamine at the time of the break-in.
—Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
CinnaMom Bakery suffered property damage and the associated cost of repairs in the break-ins, Beatty said.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 10 Dec. 2025
Verb
Crews are working to repair two water main breaks in Dolton, Illinois, on Saturday.
—Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025
With a brief mini-break in the rearview mirror, the Charlotte Hornets got back to action Thursday night, taking on one of their nemeses in the Southeast Division.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 19 Dec. 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 21 Dec. 2025.
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