Meanings
present singular third person breaks in · participle present breaking in · past broke in · participle past broken in
- intransitiveTo enter a place by force or illicit means.
Someone broke in and stole his radio.
2 more examples
No wonder they broke in, sir: Fake alarm system, single mortise lock on the door, windows that don't close properly...
2000 February 5, Douglas Watkinson et al., “Beyond the Grave”, in Midsomer MurdersThousands gathered at São Paulo’s main cathedral and made their way to the mayor’s office, where a small group smashed windows and tried to break in, forcing guards to withdraw.
2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 Jun 2013 - transitiveTo smash (something) by forcing it inward.
Break in the door. We are held up!
1914, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados - ambitransitiveergativeidiomaticTo reach a state of functioning more smoothly through use or wear; to cause (something, or someone, new) to undergo this change.
These shoes will be more comfortable after they have broken in.
1 more example
These shoes will be more comfortable after I have broken them in.
- idiomatictransitiveStarting something brand new or at a new level.
He broke in with the New York Yankees.
- transitiveTo tame; make obedient; to train to follow orders of the owner.
1 more example
Captain had been broken in and trained for an army horse; his first owner was an officer of cavalry going out to the Crimean War. He said he quite enjoyed the training with all the other horses, trotting together, turning together, to the right hand or to the left, halting at the word of command, or dashing forward at full speed at the sound of the trumpet, or signal of the officer.
[1877], Anna Sewell, “An Old War Horse”, in Black Beauty: […], London: Jarrold and Sons, […], →OCLC, part III, page 162 - intransitiveTo interrupt one's conversation; speak before another person has finished speaking.
- slangtransitiveTo initiate a new person into prostitution or prison sex acts.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo reach a state of functioning more smoothly through use or wear; to cause (something, or someone, new) to undergo this change.
More synonyms by meaning
verbenter someone's (virtual or real) property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act
verbbreak into a conversation
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Basque indarrez sartu, hezi
- indarrez sartuto enter by force or illicitly
- hezito tame (a horse or other animal)
- moztuto interrupt one's conversation
Catalan irrompre
- irrompreto enter by force or illicitly
Czech vloupat se, zajet
- vloupat seto enter by force or illicitly
- zajetto make something new function well through use
- rozchodit (boty)to make something new function well through use
- zkrotitto tame (a horse or other animal)
Dutch inbreken, inlopen
- inbrekento enter by force or illicitly
- inlopento make something new function well through use
Esperanto interrompi
- interrompito interrupt one's conversation
Finnish murtautua, ajaa sisään
- murtautuato enter by force or illicitly
- ajaa sisäänto make something new function well through use
- kouliato tame (a horse or other animal)
- kesyttääto tame (a horse or other animal)
French fracturer, pénétrer par effraction
- fracturerto enter by force or illicitly
- pénétrer par effractionto enter by force or illicitly
- casserto make something new function well through use
- roderto make something new function well through use
- se faireto make something new function well through use
- materto tame (a horse or other animal)
German einbrechen, einsteigen
- einbrechento enter by force or illicitly
- einsteigento enter by force or illicitly
- einlaufento make something new function well through use
- einfahrento make something new function well through use
- eingewöhnento make something new function well through use
- einsteigen (job / coll.)to start something new
- anfangento start something new
- zureitento tame (a horse or other animal)
- (den Willen) brechento tame (a horse or other animal)
- ins Wort fallento interrupt one's conversation
- einarbeitento get used to a new level or situation
- anlernento get used to a new level or situation
Hungarian betör, idomít
- betörto enter by force or illicitly
- idomítto tame (a horse or other animal)
Indonesian terobos masuk
- terobos masukto enter by force or illicitly
Italian rodare, domare
- rodareto make something new function well through use
- domareto tame (a horse or other animal)
Latin domō
- domōto tame (a horse or other animal)
Malay pecah masuk
- pecah masukto enter by force or illicitly
Māori maoho, pereki
- maohoto enter by force or illicitly
- perekito tame (a horse or other animal)
- pereki hōihoto tame (a horse or other animal)
Norwegian Bokmål bryte seg inn
- bryte seg innto enter by force or illicitly
Polish włamywać się, włamać się
- włamywać sięto enter by force or illicitly
- włamać sięto enter by force or illicitly
- rozchodzićto make something new function well through use
- ujeżdżaćto tame (a horse or other animal)
- ujeździćto tame (a horse or other animal)
Portuguese amaciar
- amaciarto make something new function well through use
Russian вла́мываться, разнашивать
- вла́мываться (vlámyvatʹsja)to enter by force or illicitly
- разнашивать (raznašivatʹ)to make something new function well through use
- обкатывать (obkatyvatʹ)to make something new function well through use
- укроща́ть (ukroščátʹ)to tame (a horse or other animal)
- объезжа́ть (obʺjezžátʹ)to tame (a horse or other animal)
- дрессирова́ть (dressirovátʹ)to tame (a horse or other animal)
Slovak rozchodiť
- rozchodiťto make something new function well through use
Spanish irrumpir, violentar
- irrumpirto enter by force or illicitly
- violentarto enter by force or illicitly
- descerrajarto enter by force or illicitly
- domarto make something new function well through use
- estrenarto make something new function well through use
- ahormarto make something new function well through use
- ablandarto make something new function well through use
- domarto tame (a horse or other animal)
Swedish bryta sig in, rida in
- bryta sig into enter by force or illicitly
- rida into tame (a horse or other animal)
- tämjato tame (a horse or other animal)
Turkish alıştırmak
- alıştırmakto make something new function well through use
Cite this entry
break in. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20in
“break in.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20in. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “break in,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20in.
Source: break in on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.