break into — enter illegally
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to enter a building, car, or other place by force, usually to steal something
Say it like a native
Textbook Someone forcibly gained entry to my vehicle and removed the radio.
Native Someone broke into my car and took the radio.
'Break into' is the everyday verb; the formal version is report-speak.
Pattern: break into + noun
In use
- Someone tried to break into my car last night, but the alarm scared them away.crime
- If I saw someone trying to break into a house, I would immediately call the police because it’s a serious crime.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ They broke into to the warehouse.
✓ They broke into the warehouse.
'Break into' already includes the direction — no extra 'to'.
Common collocations
break into + place— the car, a house, the safe, a shop
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'break in', which can also mean to interrupt or to make shoes comfortable.
Related
- break into (start suddenly) — Another meaning of 'break into' is 'start suddenly'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.