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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of broken in
As Daniel lies unconscious and broken in a hospital bed, the doctors warn Laura and her husband, Howard (Waleed Zuaiter), that their son probably won’t make it.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Having started reasonably well, her serve then started letting her down and she was broken in three straight service games to fall behind in the match.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Having started reasonably well, her serve then started letting her down and she was broken in three straight service games to fall behind in the match.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken in
Verb
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Israel invaded the hospital in November 2023 and March 2024, saying Hamas worked in the area of the hospital, a claim Hamas denied.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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In 2008, Russia invaded Georgia and the two fought a war that lasted only just over two weeks.—
Leila Fadel,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Shortly after midnight, the burners remember, their serenity was interrupted by a group of law enforcement officers who entered the camp to ask questions.—
Denver Nicks,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
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However, their usual matchday walk was interrupted by fans, forcing England to return to their Zurich base at the Dolder Grand hotel.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Her plaintive denials on screen are robbed of any credibility by an inescapable sense of overwhelming resentment.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
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But 1976 had nobody — and not even anybody, in fairness, who can feel particularly ‘robbed’ of an England cap.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cable cuts in the Red Sea briefly disrupted Microsoft’s Azure service.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
8 Sep. 2025
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Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, found that the very layers meant to block harmful outputs – like pornography or step-by-step weapon guides – are often the first to be cut in the name of efficiency.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20in. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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