house·break·ing
ˈhau̇s-ˌbrā-kiŋ 
: an act of breaking open and entering the dwelling house of another with a felonious purpose
1
: one that commits housebreaking
2
chiefly British
: one that pulls down old buildings : wrecker
Examples of housebreaking in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024
Ron Mitchell, a 30-year-old sailor; Atiba Stanislaus, a 25-year-old farmer; and Trevon Robertson, a 23-year-old unemployed man, were charged with capital murder, escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery and kidnapping.
—CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024
The three suspects have also been charged with escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery and kidnapping.
—Michael Rios, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024
The three inmates were also charged with escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery, and two counts of kidnapping.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024
Sometimes armed with rifles, the settlers intermittently engage in housebreaking, sheep stealing and vandalism.
—Steven Erlanger Sergey Ponomarev, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024
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Noun
Last week, the suspects were returned to Grenada, where they were all charged with two counts of capital murder, escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery and two counts of kidnapping.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024
Ron Mitchell, a 30-year-old sailor; Atiba Stanislaus, a 25-year-old farmer; and Trevon Robertson, a 23-year-old unemployed man, were charged with capital murder, escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery and kidnapping.
—CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024
The three suspects have also been charged with escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery and kidnapping.
—Michael Rios, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024
The three inmates were also charged with escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery, and two counts of kidnapping.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024
Sometimes armed with rifles, the settlers intermittently engage in housebreaking, sheep stealing and vandalism.
—Steven Erlanger Sergey Ponomarev, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Housebreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/housebreaking. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
housebreaking
noun
house·break·ing
ˈhau̇s-ˌbrā-kiŋ
: the act of breaking into and entering the dwelling house of another for the purpose of committing a felony
housebreaker
noun
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