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
-
During an appearance on WFAN in early 2025, Seth Rollins took issue with overzealous fans invading his privacy by finding his flight information.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Dec. 2025
-
McLaughlin stressed that the agency is not invading or raiding classrooms, and shared a DHS memo outlining the department's approach with ABC News.—
Arthur Jones II,
ABC News,
8 Dec. 2025
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
-
In the meantime, a very real drama arrives at Aunt Esther’s door when a Black man is accused of robbing a local mill.—
Via Catapult,
Literary Hub,
5 June 2026
-
In the late 1990s, officers from a gang unit in the LAPD’s Rampart Division were accused of robbing people and planting evidence, among other crimes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
The incident began when Dousten, driving a GMC Sierra, pulled out of a private driveway, cutting in front of a Toyota Tundra driver who slammed on the brakes to avoid crashing, according to court documents.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
22 Aug. 2025
-
The prime time talent show is once again ruining our viewing of acts by constantly cutting in reaction shots of the audience, hosts and random people.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20in. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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