be housebroken —(of pet animals) be clean in the house (going outside to relieve themselves):
- This Doberman is housebroken, good on a leash and very intelligent.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase be from a broken home—(of a child) come from a family in which the parents have separated or divorced:
- Hailey is from a broken home, and her longing for her father is palpable when she holds up a framed photo of her family.
break into a house—force an entrance into a house with criminal intent:
- Police are still searching for two men who broke into a house on Parvins Mill Road.