How to Use break-in in a Sentence

break-in

1 of 2 noun
  • There was no sign of a break-in.
    — Dateline Nbc, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
  • There was no sign of a break-in.
    — Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 5 Feb. 2026
  • The car break-ins are not as much.
    — Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Images of the break-in spread fast.
    — Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 25 Mar. 2026
  • All eight break-ins occurred overnight.
    — Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 13 May 2026
  • There’s no sign of a break-in at the Klines’ house.
    — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 12 Apr. 2026
  • There was no museum video of the break-in.
    — Greg Palkot, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
  • This wave of celebrity break-ins is nothing new.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • At least six break-ins were reported in the past week alone.
    — Sierra Van Der Brug, Daily News, 18 Apr. 2026
  • The more leather in your boot, the longer the break-in period.
    — Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 22 Mar. 2023
  • Nixon had nothing to do with the break-in and knew nothing about it.
    — Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Neighbors said there was at least one break-in attempt at the house.
    — Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The weapon or tools used in the break-in are unknown, the report states.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 14 Jan. 2026
  • That said, the shoes do run true to size even with the longer break-in period.
    — Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2023
  • Plus, there’s no break-in period.
    — Gabriela Garcia, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The break-in occurred in a guest house next to the couple’s main home, the sources said.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2024
  • No one was inside the residence at the time of the break-in.
    — Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Police have said there’s no evidence of a break-in or foul play.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2025
  • There were no signs of a break-in, according to police.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
  • But this break-in was a bust, cops said, saying the crew fled the scene in the getaway car.
    — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Didn't appear that there were any signs of a break-in, or a crime that occurred at the home.
    — Chris Young Ritzen, CBS News, 10 May 2025
  • Cunningham points out that break-ins might be rare at home but could ruin a trip.
    — Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2025
  • However, latex can be too firm for some and can take a few weeks to break-in.
    — Jack Byram, Health, 20 Apr. 2023
  • Plus, these are comfortable right out of the box and require no break-in time.
    — Hillary Maglin, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2023
  • Lowe should be a break-in-case-of-emergency option.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
  • Then there’s a break-in, and everyone assumes they’ve been stolen.
    — Michael Gorra, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2023
  • Reeves’ home was also the scene of back-to-back break-ins in 2014.
    — Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2023
  • Except, there’ll be no successful break-ins here.
    — Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
  • This week’s cab crashings come amid an uptick in on-the-go break-ins on the subway system.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 27 May 2026
  • There was a break-in of a federal official’s home in that area.
    — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 26 Mar. 2025

break in

2 of 2 verb
  • There’s a break in the blinds and the moon slides in.
    — Davon Loeb, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
  • To break in a young catcher takes time.
    — Sam Blum, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
  • This thesis could break in a few places.
    — Tenzin Seldon, Fortune, 21 June 2026
  • His left arm was broken in three places.
    — Jeff Truesdell, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Kimbrel bent but didn’t break in the ninth.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 3 May 2026
  • But that would add more weight—and one more thing to break in flight.
    — Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2025
  • More than two decades later, a break in the cold case?
    — Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
  • At some point along the way, the giant broke in two at the knees.
    — Daniel T. Ksepka, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2023
  • Ord, from the thylacine group, broke in with some news of her own.
    — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
  • The Dodgers got a break in the fourth inning.
    — Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 20 May 2026
  • And France get their hearts broken in the semis.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 2 June 2026
  • Now, more than three decades later, there has been a break in the case.
    — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
  • But there was one clue that would give police their first big break in the case.
    — CBS News, 23 Apr. 2022
  • Levine is eager to see a break in the stalemate.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026
  • The spark sounded like a stick breaking in half.
    — Will MacKin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
  • Soccer cleats don’t break in the way other shoes do.
    — Nicole Williams, AJC.com, 18 May 2026
  • Frightened by the thought of breaking in your jeans?
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Most teams don’t try to break in so many young defensemen at once.
    — Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 12 May 2026
  • Garrett said the chances are slim that such a clue could lead to a break in the case.
    — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Many branches are broken in this process.
    — Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Dec. 2025
  • And — this one’s nuts — did the ring really break in half?
    — Lisa Depaulo, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026
  • There will be a break in the heat today, but not in the rainy weather.
    — Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, 16 July 2021
  • Their leather shaft molds to your ankle once they’re broken in, too.
    — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
  • When a net breaks in a storm, a dozen or so dock workers rush to shore to stitch it up.
    — Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 June 2026
  • When a net breaks in a storm, a dozen or so dock workers rush to shore to stitch it up.
    — Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Elephant's ear can break in the wind, so shield it from summer storms.
    — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2026
  • What happens if somebody breaks in?
    — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Even a single misstep or break in a leg line will be marked down by the judges.
    — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026
  • There will be some breaks in the rain from time-to-time so no day is a complete washout.
    — Rachael Jay, CBS News, 23 May 2026
  • Others showed up at her home bearing rope, lock picks, and tools to break in.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'break-in.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: