breaking in

present participle of break in
1
as in invading
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 interrupting
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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking in
Verb
  • The idea of fear invading any part of the Lions locker room is ludicrous.
    Steve Silverman, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Kevin Harlan has had a number of memorable calls in his broadcast career, ranging from a field-invading cat to a field-invading fan.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • American Airlines flights across the United States were delayed by technical issues on Tuesday morning, interrupting travel on one of the busiest days of the year.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Part of that is knowing when to linger on a closeup (go back and rewatch the scene leading up to Joanne and Noah’s first kiss) and when to punch up the comedy by increasing the tempo — before interrupting the rhythm to land a joke.
    Mark Peikert, IndieWire, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • One of Mangione’s attorneys told a judge that government officials, including New York Mayor Eric Adams, have turned Mangione into a political pawn, robbing him of his rights as a defendant and tainting the jury pool.
    Michael R. Sisak and Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Cops have arrested a motorist accused of attacking and robbing an NYPD traffic enforcement agent of his electronic summons book after getting a ticket on a busy Queens street, police said Friday.
    Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 20 Dec. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near breaking in

Cite this Entry

“Breaking in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20in. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

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