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 Denver’s rush is heating up In addition to the extra attention from opponents, of course, the Broncos are also breaking in a new running mate for Allen inside on pass-rushing situations. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2026 The employee watched the security footage and found that nobody was breaking in. — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026 History is only half of the equation here, as both the Tigers and Gators are breaking in new coaches who just as easily could have been on opposite sidelines. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking in
  1. invading
  2. interrupting
  3. robbing
  4. cutting in
Verb
  • Without proper circulation, harmful fungi have an optimal environment for invading your lawn.
    — David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 7 Nov. 2026
  • This logic has endured since 1935, when the League of Nations sanctioned Italy for invading Ethiopia, in the hope that doing so would induce Italy to call off its invasion or at least temper its ambitions.
    — S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of invading
Verb
  • According to reporting by The Associated Press, Maureen August, a senior manager at GM Research & Development, explained that the game helps researchers draw participants into an activity before interrupting them.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Can vendors be changed without interrupting critical operations?
    — Chandini Sheeba, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of interrupting
Verb
  • The harsh artificial lighting completely shattered the otherworldly atmosphere, robbing us of our chance to experience totality's eerie darkness.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The game stayed there the rest of the period thanks in part to Ellis robbing Graf after he was set up in front by Celebrini to preserve the lead.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of robbing
Verb
  • As with the Pattern One, the grip ended in a round top nut, which secured the rat-tail tang to the grip, though the fitting was now done by cutting off the tang to length and cutting in the screw to take the nut.
    — David Szondy August 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a constant threat cutting in from the left, and if Dembélé features, he will be given the freedom to drift and find pockets of space centrally.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 11 Aug. 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 10 Nov. 2026.

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