Other forms: break-ins
A break-in is the forcing of a way into a building to steal. Report a break-in.
Most take under ten minutes and go in at the back, where nobody can see. A break-in is far less likely at a house with a light on and a visible alarm.
1nounbreak-inThe forcing of a way into a building to steal.
“The break-in took eight minutes and cost them a year of work.”
break-in is a crime.
Also accepted in games: burglary
From the phrasal verb break in; the noun form dates from the nineteenth century.
Deverbal from break in.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA