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
Susan Miller, USA Today, 19 June 2025
Vehicle break-in/theft, 2700 block Magnolia Ave., 3:45 a.m. • Vehicle break-in/theft, 3100 block Mission Blvd., 10:30 a.m.
• Misdemeanor disorderly conduct: alcohol, 1800 block Garnet Ave., 3:52 p.m.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2025
Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Records were also broken in Providence, Rhode Island where temperatures reached 100 degrees – a new June high temperature record.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for break-in
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Noun
Police said they were notified of the overnight break-in at 8 a.m. Wednesday.
—Susan Miller, USA Today, 19 June 2025
Vehicle break-in/theft, 2700 block Magnolia Ave., 3:45 a.m. • Vehicle break-in/theft, 3100 block Mission Blvd., 10:30 a.m.
• Misdemeanor disorderly conduct: alcohol, 1800 block Garnet Ave., 3:52 p.m.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2025
Verb
Passengers on a flight were unexpectedly soaked in alcohol after a hard landing caused two bottles to break in an overhead bin.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Records were also broken in Providence, Rhode Island where temperatures reached 100 degrees – a new June high temperature record.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 24 June 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 1 Jul. 2025.
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