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

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

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
  • It’s been years since Odysseus has been home, and Penelope (Hathaway), his wife, is now forced to keep dozens of gluttonous suitors at bay after invading her home.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026
  • Fearful of invading marauders, humankind has turned distrustful and stingy, ignoring Zeus’ command to show generosity toward the poor and foreign-born, a cornerstone of faith that would later be repurposed in the New Testament.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for public assistance in identifying a man, who is accused of robbing a bank in Miami Lakes.
    — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
  • In an interview with Federal Bureau of Investigations agents, Young allegedly initially denied involvement in the robbery but later admitted to robbing the bank, the criminal complaint said.
    — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 14 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 24 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of itinerant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All