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Glite Dictionary
to housebreak

to housebreak

2 4.2
Teach a pet not to pee or poo inside the house
  • verb
  • /ˈhaʊsˌbreɪk/
  • US
translation icon : entrenar para hacer sus necesidades
  • It is hard to housebreak if you are gone all day and the pup can't hold it that long.
  • housebreak my dog
  • housebreak your puppy

Examples

  • I think they housebreak each other...

    Overboard (1987)

  • You're gonna have to get that to him yourself, and you may want to housebreak your pig first.

    College Road Trip (2008)

  • Oh, so we're the lucky ones who get to housebreak him?

    You, Me and Dupree (2006)

  • Well, at least it gives me a chance to housebreak you.

    Re-Animator (1985)

  • Even a dog you housebreak.

    The Miracle Worker (1962)

  • I'm going to housebreak him just like I did my second husband.

    The Golden Boys (2008)

  • Any dog will housebreak.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Dog won't housebreak.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Um, I was not comfortable using a crate during the day and at night to housebreak, so I used a crate at night and a pen during the day.

    Blog text (29)

  • To successfully housebreak a puppy, you must take it outside frequently to encourage good habits.

Synonyms

to house-train
vsto housebreak
1 3.5

To teach a pet to go to the toilet in the right place inside a home

is written as one word rather than with a hyphen

Surface Forms

housebreak infinitive
housebreaking present participle
housebreaks third person singular
housebroke past
housebroken past participle

Morphology

housebreak = house + break (semi-transparent) = house + break

The elements 'house' and 'break' are evident, but the verb's specific sense 'to train a pet not to soil the house' is somewhat idiomatic and not a fully predictable result of simple compounding.

Etymology

The word housebreak combines house ('home') and break used like in 'break a horse' ('to train'). So to housebreak a pet is to teach it to behave in the home, especially not to pee or poop inside.