BREAKING
To use physical force to separate or damage a solid object.
When used in criminal statutes as an element of BURGLARY or housebreaking, to forcibly remove any part of a house that protects it from unauthorized entry such as locks, latches, windows, or doors, to gain access to the house with the intent to commit a crime; to use force or violence in escaping from a house after a felony has been committed or attempted therein. The slightest physical force – for example, lifting a latch, releasing a bolt, or opening an unlocked door or window – is enough to constitute breaking.
