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
Callum Sutherland, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
In a June 2025 Zoom meeting — less than a month before the July 10 break-in — the American Idol executive shared her most recent scare.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Charna Flam, People.com, 12 Aug. 2025
To illustrate the danger of a break in a natural gas line, crews from San Diego Fire-Rescue and SDG&E hosted a demonstration Monday morning at the utility’s training center in Mission Valley.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break-in
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Noun
Palestine Action staged break-ins at Elbit sites across the U.K. last year in the city of Bristol, and at a factory in the county of Kent, where around £1 million ($1.33 million) worth of property was reportedly destroyed.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
In a June 2025 Zoom meeting — less than a month before the July 10 break-in — the American Idol executive shared her most recent scare.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Verb
At the time, the burglars allegedly smashed a glass door or window to break in before ransacking the home and fleeing, police sources told NBC News, ABC News and TMZ.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 12 Aug. 2025
To illustrate the danger of a break in a natural gas line, crews from San Diego Fire-Rescue and SDG&E hosted a demonstration Monday morning at the utility’s training center in Mission Valley.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 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 Aug. 2025.
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