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
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Recent Examples of broken in
Louisville’s equipment staff arrives with 10-12 balls broken in and ready for game use, as well as a host of other balls used in pregame that aren’t for game use.
—
David Ubben, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Davidson said Cline had surgery to repair her jaw which was broken in three places and was discharged from the hospital a couple of days ago and is recovering at her home in Kentucky.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 26 Sep. 2025
Hypersonic missiles capable of flying well in excess of five times the speed of sound promise to revolutionize warfare and aviation in general in a manner not seen since the sound barrier was broken in 1947.
—New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2025
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
David Ubben, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Davidson said Cline had surgery to repair her jaw which was broken in three places and was discharged from the hospital a couple of days ago and is recovering at her home in Kentucky.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 26 Sep. 2025
Hypersonic missiles capable of flying well in excess of five times the speed of sound promise to revolutionize warfare and aviation in general in a manner not seen since the sound barrier was broken in 1947.
—New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken in
Verb
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On October 7, 2023, as a terrorist army invaded Israel intending to commit genocide against the Jewish people, many world leaders rightly condemned Hamas’ murder, rape, and slaughter of Israelis and foreign nationals.—
Ofir Akunis,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
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In May 1940, German forces invaded and then occupied the Netherlands, with Belgium and France following shortly thereafter.—
Time,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The overall idea of Lightning Strikes Twice was to directly follow up 1990’s hit After the Rain, and pretend that the rise of grunge had never interrupted their career path.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
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Their clash over wanting a family got interrupted by the fire.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Likewise, even when ticketholders feel robbed by cheating or bad calls, that doesn’t mean the game ticket didn’t live up to its end of the bargain.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
13 Oct. 2025
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Their online childhoods also robbed them of life skills best learned by leaving the house.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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According to sources, all staff in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), with the exception of a handful of top officials and support staff, were cut in Friday's RIF.—
Cory Turner,
NPR,
13 Oct. 2025
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Andrew cuts in here to show me his phone.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20in. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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