breaking in

verb

present participle of break in
1
as in invading
to enter a house or building by force usually with illegal intent the burglars broke in by smashing a window

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in interrupting
to cause a disruption in a conversation or discussion he rudely broke in to drop the names of several celebrities that he had met

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of breaking in Just recently, a client came to us because their onboarding and user data pipeline kept breaking in ways their users could feel. — Dan Haiem, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026 Not a week goes by without news of a high-profile auction breaking in Publishers Weekly. — Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026 Other teams breaking in transfer quarterbacks are Illinois (Katin Houser, East Carolina), Nebraska (Anthony Colandrea, UNLV), Northwestern (Aidan Chiles, Michigan State), Penn State (Rocco Becht, Iowa State) and Wisconsin (Colton Joseph, Old Dominion). — Eric Olson, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026 The building had kept deteriorating over the course of time, with people continually breaking in, Olson said. — Chilekasi Adele, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026 If the matter-antimatter asymmetry arose due to a breaking of a certain cosmic symmetry at a higher energy, then restoring the symmetry could lead to that symmetry re-breaking in a different fashion. — Big Think, 5 Mar. 2026 Wild forward Nico Sturm has been breaking in his Team Germany skates at a few Minnesota practices, and joked about hiding his on-ice moves from NHL teammates that may be foes in Italy. — Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026 Dark selvedge blue has a professional and polished edge that simultaneously conjures vintage workwear, breaking in over time. — Rosie Jarman, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026 Frightened by the thought of breaking in your jeans? — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking in
  1. invading
  2. interrupting
  3. robbing
  4. cutting in
Verb
  • Salon magazine founder, David Talbot, wrote a series of columns in the San Francisco Chronicle complaining that the tech entrepreneurs were invading his Bernal Heights neighborhood.
    — Michael Bernick, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • This gene encodes a protein called OXO, short for oxalate oxidase, which breaks down oxalic acid, the fungus’s key weapon for invading and killing plant tissues.
    — Steve Strauss, The Conversation, 22 July 2026
Definition of invading
Verb
  • Compliance designed into the system reinforces trust without interrupting the experience.
    — Vishal Saxena, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Simplify the checklist, confirm the visit, or fix the household detail that keeps interrupting your focus.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
Definition of interrupting
Verb
  • The families of two men who discovered through DNA tests that they were switched at birth 38 years ago are accusing a North Dakota hospital of robbing them of the lives they were supposed to lead.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026
  • Bob Pilletto Best, 59, was indicted by a federal grand jury April 1, 2025, for robbing the First Arkansas Bank & Trust.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 July 2026
Definition of robbing
Verb
  • Kerr and his pacers lined up on the outside, wary of cutting in from wide a year on from Cameron Myers toppling over and out just behind him in the 2025 Diamond League meet, where Kerr finished second in the 1500 meters.
    — George Edwards, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • Add shortening and continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas.
    — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
Definition of cutting in

Browse Nearby Words

breaking free
breaking in
breaking off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Breaking in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20in. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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