break-in
noun
\ ˈbrāk-ˌin
\
\
Definition of break-in
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: the act or action of breaking in
a rash of break-ins at the new apartment house
2
: a performance or a series of performances serving as a trial run
3
: an initial period of operation during which working parts begin to function efficiently
break in
verb
broke in;
broken in;
breaking in;
breaks in
Definition of break in (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to enter something (such as a building or computer system) without consent or by force
2a
: intrude
break in upon his privacy
b
: to interrupt a conversation
3
: to start in an activity or enterprise
breaking in as a cub reporter
1
: to accustom to a certain activity or occurrence
break in the new clerk
2
: to overcome the stiffness or newness of
break in a pair of shoes
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of break-in in a Sentence
Verb
the burglars broke in by smashing a window he rudely broke in to drop the names of several celebrities that he had metRecent Examples on the Web: Verb
During pregame warmups, Schwartz was only catching passes with his right hand and wouldn’t even hold a ball in his left hand, which Auburn’s radio broadcast said was broken in five places. — Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, "Gus Malzahn updates status of 5 injured Auburn players," 2 Sep. 2019 Williams turned a disagreement with the chair umpire into an epic meltdown, her spirit clearly broken in the aftermath. — Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, "U.S. Open: Coco Gauff-Naomi Osaka offers a look into tennis’ future," 30 Aug. 2019 The second and third stanzas against Evans were as straightforward as the first, with Federer jumping out to early breaks in each and never looking the slightest bit stressed. — Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, "Federer, Serena Rounding Into Form Ahead U.S. Open's Second Week," 30 Aug. 2019 That’s unlikely to happen even if the U.S. market is broken in two. — Russ Mitchellstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Trump says automakers are ‘crazy’ to side with California. They don’t need another fight," 28 Aug. 2019 Osaka got off to a slow start, trailing by an early break in the opening set. — Jill Martin, CNN, "After an uneven start, Naomi Osaka starts US Open title defense with win over Anna Blinkova," 27 Aug. 2019 For as daunting as the Ravens’ preseason conditioning test is — six 150-yard shuttles, with only short breaks in between — their body of work since 2016 is even more formidable. — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, "Inside the Ravens’ extremely impressive, mostly insignificant 16-game preseason winning streak," 26 Aug. 2019 See Renée Zellweger’s Amazing Transformation Into Judy Garland for New Movie A thief smashed the glass and stole the slippers from their case one night, after breaking in through the museum’s back door. — Justin Curto, PEOPLE.com, "The Wizard of Oz's Ruby Slippers Became Iconic 80 Years Ago — And for Years, One Pair Was Lost," 25 Aug. 2019 At the 14 offensive and defensive positions Kentucky will break in a new starter this season, seven include at least one player with a better 247Sports Composite recruiting rating than last year's starter. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "Still doubt Kentucky football after its 2018 season? They're working to prove you wrong," 23 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'break-in.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for break-in
break-in
noun
English Language Learners Definition of break-in
: the act or crime of illegally entering a house, building, etc., especially by using force
break-in
noun
\ ˈbrāk-ˌin\
Legal Definition of break-in
(Entry 1 of 2)
: the act or action of breaking in
break in
intransitive verbLegal Definition of break in (Entry 2 of 2)
: to enter something (as a building or computer system) without privilege (as consent) or by force