einbrechen

to break in, to burgle

verb AYN-bre-khen Rare

Also means

to collapse

Usage Note

einbrechen (separable: bricht ein) means to forcibly enter a building; it is the verbal root of Einbruch and Einbruchdiebstahl. It also means 'to give way' (e.g. thin ice or a floor), so context matters.

Examples

"In dieser Nacht brachen Unbekannte in die Bäckerei ein."

Natural Translation

That night, unknown persons broke into the bakery.

Literal Translation

In this night broke unknown-persons into the bakery.

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