broke in

verb

past tense of break in
1
as in invaded
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 interrupted
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 broke in The Herald had reached out to Bronske when the story broke in May, but has not heard back. — Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 19 July 2026 News of the separation broke in September, with Kidman filing for divorce by month’s end and the pair reportedly planning on co-parenting classes and submitting a child support worksheet. — Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 22 June 2026 And there were times, after the story broke in 2005, that some people on the island would see him and cross the street just to avoid acknowledging him. — Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026 News of the Baywatch reboot broke in 2023, and the project subsequently landed at Fox. — Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026 The scandal first broke in 2022 when a former head of South Africa's state security agency walked into a police station, revealed the theft and accused Ramaphosa of money laundering and other offenses. — ABC News, 26 May 2026 One person was arrested after Foxboro, Massachusetts school officials say two dozen high-school aged people threw toilet paper all over the front of the school, and another eight broke in. — Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 22 May 2026 Residents were home when two men broke in, according to KTLA. — Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026 When the news broke in newspapers in Zimbabwe that the government was planning to cull 600 elephants, Krog made contact with the conservancy. — Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke in
  1. invaded
  2. interrupted
  3. robbed
  4. cut in
Verb
  • Seven months after the essay appeared, Putin invaded Ukraine.
    — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • After Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Beregovsky and other academics from the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences were evacuated to the eastern republic of Bashkir.
    — Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026
Definition of invaded
Verb
  • Things take an even bigger turn when the trio is interrupted by the arrival of an ambulance to rush Walter patriarch George to the hospital amid a health scare.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
  • The jury in Leon County Circuit Court sat through three days of arguments and witness testimony this week that was consistently interrupted by chaos and controversy stemming from Basabe’s decision to represent himself without an attorney.
    — Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
Definition of interrupted
Verb
  • Alleging that the killing occurred as Royal robbed Watkins, the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office successfully sought from a grand jury an indictment charging Royal with capital murder.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 July 2026
  • The New Evidence also devotes time to the defense theory that Laci encountered the burglars who robbed the home of across-the-street neighbors Rudy and Susan Medina.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 18 July 2026
Definition of robbed
Verb
  • The two programs most likely to keep someone fed and covered for psychiatric care were cut in the same bill, to the same population, at the same time.
    — Cole Hanson, STAT, 16 July 2026
  • Apparently, Lonnie hasn’t made a cut in seven years, a remarkable level of futility especially given that the show can’t even commit to suggesting that Lonnie’s game is spectacularly bad.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026
Definition of cut in

Browse Nearby Words

broke free
broke in
broken
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Broke in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20in. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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