break in phrasal verb ( see also ↑ break )
1 . to enter a building by using force, in order to steal something:
Thieves broke in and stole £10,000 worth of computer equipment.
⇨ ↑ break-in
2 . to interrupt someone when they are speaking
break in on
I didn’t want to break in on his telephone conversation.
break in with
Dad would occasionally break in with an amusing comment.
3 . break something ↔ in to make new shoes or boots less stiff and more comfortable by wearing them:
I went for a walk to break in my new boots.
4 . break somebody in to help a person get used to a certain way of behaving or working:
She’s quite new to the job, so we’re still breaking her in.
5 . break something ↔ in to teach a young horse to carry people on its back:
We break the horses in when they’re about two years old.