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
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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
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
Verb
-
There were no smartphones documenting every moment, no social media outrage cycles and no political tribalism invading every corner of daily life.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 June 2026
-
Nothing but smoke and fires roaming freely, invading even our graves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Workers repairing a ha-ha, a ditch traditionally used to contain livestock without interrupting the view across an estate, uncovered a tunnel entrance, along with Tudor-era artifacts including pottery, bones, and glass bottles.—
Anne Doran,
ARTnews.com,
15 June 2026
-
Jessica makes her big entrance at the end of episode three, interrupting Annie’s graduation party at Sullivan's and Friends.—
Francesca Gariano,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Vukelich believes artificial intelligence is robbing teens of some potential jobs and that laws to boost the minimum wage in some states have pitted first-time job-seekers against more experienced candidates.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
-
This announcement came after two teens were arrested for allegedly robbing another juvenile at gunpoint during a teen link-up at THE AVENUE at White Marsh.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Francisco Conceição, one of the 11 replacements to come on for Portugal, grabbed the 75th-minute winner by cutting in from the right and curling a shot into the far corner.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
-
Oehlerking has also been mindful of cutting in a small hatch to take care of routine maintenance.—
Utkarsh Sood
June 05,
New Atlas,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaking in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20in. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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