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
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
Ben Church, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken in
Verb
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The president framed efforts to end the foreign war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, as a matter of duty.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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Squandered Opportunities for Venezuela After Russia invaded Ukraine, the Biden administration tried to induce Venezuelan cooperation with sanctions relief.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There are visual gags — case files scattered around jigsaw puzzle pieces, conversations about blood loss interrupted by Sudoku solving — that insist on finding humor in a pair of old folks taking such morbid extracurricular activities so seriously.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Variety,
22 Aug. 2025
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Before too long, though, Friderich and Dore’s peace is interrupted by new Floreana pioneers Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Brühl), his wife, Margaret (Sydney Sweeney) and Heinz’s son, Harry (Jonathan Tittel); as well as a socialite, Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (Ana de Armas), and her entourage.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Are there ways that notorious bandits have successfully robbed banks?—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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Multiple teens told police that Montoya had robbed Aguilar of a firearm, with one saying that Aguilar and his twin brother talked about killing Montoya after the alleged robbery, according to court documents.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Over the summer, Vance helped shepherd the tax cut and spending law to passage, again casting the deciding vote on legislation that had lost GOP support over Medicaid cuts in his capacity as president of the Senate.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
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Summary Market interest rates have not responded to the past three interest rate cuts in the way policy makers at the Federal Reserve intended.—
George Calhoun,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20in. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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