break-in

[ breyk-in ]
See synonyms for break-in on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an illegal entry into a home, car, office, etc.

Origin of break-in

1
First recorded in 1855–60; noun use of verb phrase break in

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use break-in in a sentence

  • It only needed the break-in of the Patrol to complete the illusion of action-fiction—crime variety.

    Plague Ship | Andre Norton
  • A young ox is generally more difficult to break-in than an old one: I do not know why.

    The Art of Travel | Francis Galton
  • They also breed and break-in camels, which they sell in the Tiflis market.

    The Human Race | Louis Figuier
  • That awk'ard—why, he can't finish off a glass rod without break-in' it, or burning himself!

    Joyce's Investments | Fannie E. Newberry

British Dictionary definitions for break in

break in

verb(adverb)
  1. (sometimes foll by on) to interrupt

  2. (intr) to enter a house, etc, illegally, esp by force

  1. (tr) to accustom (a person or animal) to normal duties or practice

  2. (tr) to use or wear (shoes, new equipment, etc) until comfortable or running smoothly

  3. (tr) Australian and NZ to bring (new land) under cultivation

nounbreak-in
    • the illegal entering of a building, esp by thieves

    • (as modifier): the break-in plans

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with break-in

break-in

Enter by force, as in The thieves broke in through the back door. [Mid-1500s] Also see break into.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.