housebreaking

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the crime of entering a house or other building unlawfully, typically with the intention of stealing

   The witness identified the tools used in the housebreaking.

A compound of house + breaking, using break in its sense "to enter forcibly or unlawfully." Housebreaking became a legal and general term for unlawful entry into a dwelling; modern statutes in many jurisdictions classify the conduct under burglary offenses.

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