ˈbreak-in BrE AmE noun [countable]
an act of entering a building illegally and by force, especially in order to steal things:
Since the break-in we’ve had all our locks changed.
⇨ break in at ↑ break 1
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THESAURUS
▪ robbery the crime of stealing money or other things from a bank, shop etc, especially by using threats or violence:
Mobile phones are a common target in street robberies.
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Armed robbery is a serious offence.
▪ theft the crime of stealing something, especially when the person they are stolen from is not present:
Car thefts are on the increase.
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Security has been tightened since the theft of a $150,000 oil painting.
▪ burglary the crime of entering a house or other building illegally and stealing things:
Most burglaries occur when a house or apartment is empty.
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He was charged with burglary.
▪ break-in an occasion when someone breaks a door or window in order to enter a place and steal things:
The break-in was the eighth on our street this year.
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There’s been a break-in at the newsagents.
▪ mugging a violent attack on someone in the street in order to rob them:
There have been a number of muggings outside downtown hotels.
▪ raid an attack on a bank, shop etc, especially one in which the thieves use weapons:
The gang carried out an armed raid on a post office.
▪ bank job informal a carefully planned robbery of a bank:
The money from the bank job was quickly taken out of the country.
▪ larceny law the crime of stealing something from someone, without using force or threats. This word is used mainly in American English. It is now old-fashioned in British English:
He pleaded guilty in New York to nine counts of grand larceny (=stealing things that are worth a lot of money) .
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They were suspected of being involved in petty larceny (=stealing things that are not worth a lot of money) .