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housebreak

[ hous-breyk ]

/ ˈhaʊsˌbreɪk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR housebreak ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), house·broke, house·bro·ken, house·break·ing.

to train (a pet) to excrete outdoors or in a specific place.

Origin of housebreak

First recorded in 1895–1900; house + break

Words nearby housebreak

house-trained, house-warming, houseboat, housebound, houseboy, housebreak, housebreaker, housebreaking, housebroken, housecarl, housecat

Example sentences from the Web for housebreaking

Was “Margaret” here, or had the police come to arrest Mary Louise for housebreaking?

The Mystery of the Secret Band |Edith Lavell
Housebreaking is a very different business from the forcible entry of country post-offices, and The Hopper was nervous.

A Reversible Santa Claus |Meredith Nicholson
It was probably overtime at housebreaking that had told on him.

Dwellers in Arcady |Albert Bigelow Paine
This is not the case in Hamilton and Toronto, where daring acts of housebreaking are of frequent occurrence.

Life in the Clearings versus the Bush |Susanna Moodie

There was no more mysterious prowling, waylaying and housebreaking; the mail only was used.

Ashton Kirk, Secret Agent |John T. McIntyre

British Dictionary definitions for housebreaking

housebreaking

/ (ˈhaʊsˌbreɪkɪŋ) /

noun

criminal law the act of entering a building as a trespasser for an unlawful purpose. Assimilated with burglary, 1968

Derived forms of housebreaking

housebreaker, noun