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
Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
More recent images showed that the police arrived around noon to investigate the break-in.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 23 Jan. 2026
Thomas Brewster, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The dust-up came during a break in the proceedings, when activist and Army veteran Ivan Raiklin approached former cop Michael Fanone to shake his hand.
—Brian Niemietz, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break-in
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Noun
But in the wake of the fire and regular break-ins by vagrants, the city’s Landmark Preservation Commission approved demolition on account of economic hardship in December 2024.
—Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
More recent images showed that the police arrived around noon to investigate the break-in.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
BitLocker’s encryption algorithms have proven impenetrable to prior law enforcement attempts to break in, according to a Forbes review of historical cases.
—Thomas Brewster, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The dust-up came during a break in the proceedings, when activist and Army veteran Ivan Raiklin approached former cop Michael Fanone to shake his hand.
—Brian Niemietz, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
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 25 Jan. 2026.
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