break in

See also: break-in and breakin'

English

Pronunciation

Audio (General Australian): (file)

Verb

break in (third-person singular simple present breaks in, present participle breaking in, simple past broke in, past participle broken in)

(intransitive) To enter a place by force or illicit means.
Someone broke in and stole his radio.
- 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 June 2013:
  Thousands 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.
(transitive, idiomatic) To cause (something, or someone, new) to function more naturally through use or wear
These shoes will be more comfortable after I have broken them in.
(transitive, idiomatic) Starting something brand new or at a new level.
He broke in with the New York Yankees.
(transitive, of a horse) To tame; make obedient; to train to follow orders of the owner.
- [1877], Anna Sewell, “An Old War Horse”, in Black Beauty: […], London: Jarrold and Sons, […], →OCLC, part III, page 162:
  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.
(transitive, colloquial) To take the virginity of a girl, to deflower.
- 2002, Allison Moorer (lyrics and music), “Ruby Jewel Was Here”, in Miss Fortune:
  While brothel patrons placed their bets / On who would be the first to break her in
(intransitive) To interrupt one's conversation; speak before another person has finished speaking.
(transitive, slang) To initiate a new person into prostitution or prison sex acts.

Derived terms

breaker-inner
break-in (noun)

Related terms

Translations

to enter by force or illicitly

Catalan: irrompre (ca)
Czech: vloupat se (cs) pf
Dutch: inbreken (nl)
Finnish: murtautua (fi)
French: fracturer (fr), pénétrer par effraction
Georgian: შეჭრა (šeč̣ra)
German: einbrechen (de), einsteigen (de) (slang)
Hungarian: betör (hu)
Maori: maoho
Norwegian:
Bokmål: bryte seg inn
Occitan: far irrupcion, irrompre
Polish: włamywać się / włamać się
Russian: вла́мываться (ru) n (vlámyvatʹsja)
Spanish: irrumpir (es), violentar (es), descerrajar (es)
Swedish: bryta sig in

to make something new function well through use

Czech: zajet (auto) pf, rozchodit (boty) pf
Dutch: inlopen (nl) (for shoes)
Finnish: ajaa sisään
French: casser (fr), roder (fr), se faire (fr)
German: einlaufen (de) (shoes), einfahren (de) (car), eingewöhnen (de) (creature)
Italian: rodare (it)
Occitan: aprivadar (oc), adomdar
Polish: rozchodzić (pl) pf
Portuguese: amaciar (pt)
Russian: разнашивать (raznašivatʹ) (одежду (odeždu), о́бувь (óbuvʹ)) (raznášivatʼ (odéždu, óbuvʼ)), обкатывать (obkatyvatʹ) (автомоби́ль (avtomobílʹ)) (obkátyvatʼ (avtomobílʼ))
Slovak: rozchodiť pf
Spanish: domar (es), estrenar (es), ahormar (es), ablandar (es)

to start something new

German: einsteigen (de) (job / coll.), anfangen (de)

to get used to a new level or situation

German: einarbeiten (de), anlernen (de)

to tame (a horse or other animal)

Czech: zkrotit pf
Finnish: koulia (domesticated animal); kesyttää (fi) (wild animal)
French: mater (fr)
German: zureiten (de), (den Willen) brechen (scholarly)
Hungarian: idomít (hu)
Italian: domare (it)
Latin: domō (la)
Maori: pereki, pereki hōiho
Occitan: domdar (oc), adomergir (oc), adomdar, aprivadar (oc)
Polish: ujeżdżać (pl) impf, ujeździć pf
Russian: укроща́ть (ru) n (ukroščátʹ), объезжа́ть (ru) n (obʺjezžátʹ), дрессирова́ть (ru) n (dressirovátʹ)
Spanish: domar (es)
Swedish: rida in, tämja (sv)

to interrupt one's conversation

German: ins Wort fallen (idiom)

Anagrams

inbreak