to break in
29
3.4
- phrasal verb
- /breɪk ɪn/
:
amoldar
- Before performing, the dancer took time to break in her new pointe shoes to ensure comfort and flexibility.
Examples
-
She wants me to break them in.
-
He likes to break in the new ones.
-
- I gotta break in these shoes, I guess.
-
So I got these and I wore these for a couple of days to break them in and I enjoyed them quite thoroughly.
-
Grant got a new grill for Father's Day and wants to break it in.
Fiction book (2000) -
-I just haven't had a chance to break them in yet.
-
I have a new suit of Red Ball waders you can break in for me.
Fiction book (1990) -
Zeke is going to break you in, show you the ropes.
-
Willie strolled down to second as if he were breaking in new shoes.
Fiction book (2000) -
The new employee will shadow a senior staff member to break in and learn the company's procedures.
Synonyms
4
8.9
Become used to something unpleasant so it no longer bothers you
Antonyms
How Trained
- Specialized
32
4.1
∞
1.0
29
3.4
514
2.4
520
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to forcefully enter by breaking a barrier' is directly and compositionally derived from 'break' (to damage or cause to separate) plus 'in' (into the interior); the particle adds the direction/result of entering. This verb+particle construction is a common, predictable pattern and a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the intended sense.
Etymology
The phrasal verb break in comes from the image of making something stiff or wild become calm by use, like wearing new shoes until they are soft or training a young horse. That's why it means 'to train' or 'to make comfortable'.