to enter a building, car, or other place by force, usually to steal something
Someone tried to break into my car last night, but the alarm scared them away.
A: Did you hear about the break-in at the bakery? B: Yeah, someone broke into the shop and took all the cash.
If I saw someone trying to break into a house, I would immediately call the police because it’s a serious crime.
Common mistake
✗They broke into to the warehouse.
✓They broke into the warehouse.
'Break into' already includes the direction — no extra 'to'.
Tell it apart
Someone broke into the car.
forced their way in to steal
She broke into a run.
suddenly started running — different sense
Use 'break into' when someone enters a place without permission, often to steal.Not the same as 'break in', which can also mean to interrupt or to make shoes comfortable.
to suddenly begin doing something, especially an activity or emotion
When he heard the joke, he broke into laughter.
A: Why is everyone looking at us? B: We just broke into song in the middle of the street!
Sometimes, when I’m nervous, I break into a sweat even if the room isn’t hot.
Common mistake
✗He broke into to laugh.
✓He broke into laughter. / He burst out laughing.
'Break into + noun' (tears, laughter, a run) — not 'into to + verb'.
Tell it apart
She broke into a run.
suddenly started running
She broke into the building.
forced her way in
Use 'break into' to show someone starts doing something quickly and unexpectedly.Different from 'break out', which means something starts suddenly but is often used for negative events like fires or wars.