to break
- verb
- /breɪk/
- Why did you break into Jenna's house and kidnap Ezra?
- break into a house
Armed criminals are breaking into old people's homes.
- Armed criminals are breaking into old people's homes.
- How I was able to thwart him breaking into the house or coming any further.
- They broke in banks, they broke in swap meets, they broke in stores.
Examples
-
Yeah, someone's breaking into our house.
-
Okay, so, like, two years ago, Lisa was home alone with her mom, and this psycho broke in.
-
- Look, I broke into the main building.
-
Around the same time, the Northern Red Force also broke into the town from the northeast.
-
Armed criminals are breaking into old people's homes.
-
You don't remember how I took on those guys trying to break into your place.
Fiction book (1990) -
A police car was not reassuring when you were planning to break into a building.
Fiction book (1990) -
As soon as Landry broke in and discovered the fraud, then it was all over....
Fiction book (1992) -
The clinic closed at 7:00, and I'm here through the night to make sure the junkies don't- don't break in.
-
Armed criminals are breaking into old people's homes to steal their valuables.
Synonyms
To get into a computer or network without permission
To break into a computer or online account without permission
To enter a building or computer system without permission, often by force
To enter a building without permission to steal things
To go onto someone else's land without permission
To enter a building illegally to steal things
Antonyms
Idioms
To overcome barriers that stop women or minority groups getting higher jobs
- Informal
A sudden time when many people lose control and chaos starts
- Informal
To do new or difficult things on purpose to learn and grow
A phrase that says hurt to the body is worse than insults and words do not hurt
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
End a relationship with someone, for example a romantic or business partner
To stop something suddenly before it is finished, for example a talk or relationship
- Specialized
To make something separate into smaller parts by a chemical process
- Jargon
To speak directly to the audience during a play or film to show the story is not real
- Jargon
To remove communication barriers between teams so they can work together
Take part in activities usually not allowed on the Sabbath, like working or traveling
Compounds
- Specialized
A smaller tax people or companies must pay to encourage certain activities
- Jargon
A quick attack where a team moves fast down the court to score before the defense sets up
How Serious
- US
- Informal
Surface Forms
Etymology
Break comes from an old English word brecan meaning 'to force open' and is related to the idea of a 'breach' or opening. To break into a place is to force entry without permission.