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
Relevance
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
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Recent Examples of breaking in
Pushing and carrying and pulling heavy weights taught me to get comfortable with breaking in order to become stronger, more resilient.
—
Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
At left guard and left tackle, the offense is breaking in a second-year player who’s a former tackle and a rookie in San Diego’s Josh Simmons, who last played a regular-season game in October.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
And also, at the exact same moment, your heart is breaking in half because one day, lots of days, actually, your child is going to go out and enjoy that absolutely beautiful, mind-blowing, magical world.
—Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
At left guard and left tackle, the offense is breaking in a second-year player who’s a former tackle and a rookie in San Diego’s Josh Simmons, who last played a regular-season game in October.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
And also, at the exact same moment, your heart is breaking in half because one day, lots of days, actually, your child is going to go out and enjoy that absolutely beautiful, mind-blowing, magical world.
—Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking in
Verb
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Russia has been desperate to offset the loss of its European market after invading Ukraine.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Channeling history, Putin has staked a key part of his pretext for invading Ukraine on the claim that neo-Nazi ideology was gaining ground in the neighboring state also viewed as the next potential frontier for NATO expansion.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When the material is loaded up with pain killers and/or anti-inflammatory drugs, they would be released as the hydrogel softens, interrupting the pain pathway and bringing relief to patients.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Sep. 2025
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The only problem is that interrupting people’s work and putting them in a room together doesn’t do anything positive for your culture by itself.—
Joe Moglia,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The socialite made headlines in May by wearing her version of the necklace in Paris during the trial of 10 people who were accused of robbing the reality star in October 2016.—
Renan Botelho,
Footwear News,
12 Sep. 2025
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Four months into probation, Brown was arrested for robbing a man at an apartment.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20in. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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