break
break (brāk)
transitive verb broke, bro′·ken, break′·ing
- to cause to come apart by force; split or crack sharply into pieces; smash; burst
- to cut open the surface of (soil, the skin, etc.)
- to fracture a bone of
- to cause the failure of by force or extralegal measures to break a strike
- to make unusable or inoperative by cracking, disrupting, etc.
- to tame or make obedient with or as with force
- to cause to get rid (of a habit)
- to get rid of (a habit)
- to lower in rank or grade; demote
- to reduce to poverty or bankruptcy
- to ruin the chance for success of
- to wreck the health, spirit, etc. of
- to surpass (a record)
- to fail to follow the terms of (a law, promise, agreement, etc.); violate
- to open or enter by force: now chiefly in break and enter
- to escape from by force to break prison
- to disrupt the order or completeness of; make irregular the troops broke formation and ran
- to interrupt (a journey, electric circuit, etc.)
- to reduce the force of by interrupting (a fall, the wind, etc.)
- to bring to a sudden end to break a tie
- to make or create (a path, way, etc.) as by removing obstructions
- to cut through or penetrate (silence, darkness, etc.)
- to make known; tell; disclose
- to decipher to break a code
- to succeed in solving to break a criminal case
- to make (a will) invalid by legal process
- to prove (an alibi) to be false
- to begin; open; start
- to exchange (a bill or coin) for smaller units
- to open (a rifle or shotgun) at the breech
- Tennis to win a game from (an opponent who is serving)
Etymology: ME breken < OE brecan < IE base *bhreg- > breach, breech, Ger brechen, L frangere
intransitive verb
- to split into pieces; come apart; burst
- to scatter; disperse to break and run
- to force one's way (through obstacles or resistance)
- to quarrel; stop associating (with)
- to become unusable or inoperative; go out of order
- to suffer a sudden fall in prices, financial condition, etc.
- to change suddenly, as by a sharp rise, fall, turn, shift, etc. his voice broke; the hot spell broke
- to move away suddenly the base runner broke for second
- to move apart, or withdraw, from a clinch in boxing
- ☆ to move into a gait other than the trot or pace required: said of a horse in harness racing
- to begin suddenly to utter, perform, etc.: with into, forth in, or out in to break into song
- to come suddenly into being, evidence, or general knowledge day was breaking; the story broke
- to appear suddenly above water, as a periscope, fish, etc.
- ☆ to stop activity temporarily we broke for lunch
- to fall apart slowly; disintegrate
- to dash apart, as a wave on the shore
- to suffer a collapse of health, vitality, spirit, etc.
- to change into a diphthong: said of vowels
- ☆ to curve, dip, or rise near the plate: said of a pitched baseball
- ☆ to begin a game of pocket billiards with a break ()
- Informal to happen in a certain way things were breaking badly
noun
- a breaking open or apart; breach; fracture
- a breaking in, out, or forth
- ☆ a sudden move away or toward; rush; dash
- the result of a breaking; broken place; separation; crack
- a beginning or appearance the break of day
- an interruption of a regular or continuous arrangement, action, etc.
- the result of this; a gap, interval, pause, omission, rest, etc.
- a breach in friendly relations
- a sudden change, as in weather
- ☆ an escape, as from prison
- ☆ a sudden lowering or drop, as of prices
- an imperfection; flaw
- an unbroken series or sequence, as of points in billiards
- ☆ the opening shot in a game of pocket billiards, in which the cue ball must come into contact with at least one ball in the rack; often, a shot that scatters the racked balls
- ☆ Basketball fast break
- ☆
- a piece of luck, often specif. of good luck
- an advantage or opportunity
- exceptional or favorable treatment
- Music
- the point where one register changes to another
- the abrupt change in quality of a voice or instrument at this point
- in jazz, a brief, usually improvised passage by one band member who continues to play while the others stop
- Printing
- a space between paragraphs
- the place at which a column or page of text stops, to be continued as on another column or page
- a point at which a word is divided, as at the end of a line
break a leg!
☆good luck!: said as to a performer, esp. in the theater
break away
to leave suddenly; get away; escape
break down
- to go out of working order
- to give way to tears or emotion
- to have a physical or nervous collapse
- to crush or overcome (opposition, etc.)
- to separate into parts; analyze
break even
☆Informal to finish as neither a winner nor a loser
break in
- to enter forcibly or unexpectedly
- to interrupt
- to train (a beginner)
- ☆ to prepare (something new) by use or wear
break in on
or break in upon- to intrude on
- to interrupt
break off
- to stop abruptly, as in talking
- to stop being friendly or intimate
break out
- to begin suddenly
- to escape suddenly
- to become covered with pimples or a rash
- Naut. to bring out of stowage for use break out the foul weather gear
- Informal to bring out (anything) for use
break up
- to separate; disperse
- to take apart; dismantle and scrap
- to put a stop to
- Informal to end a relationship
- ☆ Informal to distress or upset greatly
- ☆ Informal to laugh or make laugh uncontrollably
give someone a break
☆Informal to stop treating harshly, critically, etc.
break
n.
The act of breaking
fracture, rift, split, schism, cleavage, dissevering, riving, breach, rupture, eruption, bursting, failure, collapse, disjunction; see also division 1, fracture 1, parting 2.Antonyms
mending, repair*, maintenance. * The effect of breaking
A pause
Quarrel and separation
rift, difference, difference of opinion, altercation, parting of the ways; see also sense 1, disagreement 1, dispute.Fortunate change or event: often plural
good luck, accident, favorable circumstances, opportunity; see luck 1.
break
v.
To start a rupture
crack, burst, split, rend, rupture, sunder, sever, fracture, tear, cleave, rive, break into, break through, force open, puncture, pierce, breach, snap, slash, gash, dissect, slice, detach, divide, separate, disjoin, bust*; see also cut 1, 2, divide 1.To shatter
smash, shatter, crash, break up, crush, break to atoms, shiver, splinter, smash to flinders, pull to pieces, break all to pieces, fragment, fragmentize, crumble, bust up*, break all to smithereens*. To fall apart
disintegrate, fall apart, shiver, burst, shatter, fall to pieces, splinter, crumble, collapse, break down, come apart, come off, get loose, fall off, fall down, cave in, give way, dilapidate, go to wrack and ruin, get wrecked, break into flinders, split, be destroyed, get busted*, fold up*, come unstuck*, come unglued*, come apart at the seams*; see also break down 3, disintegrate 1.To bring to ruin or to an end
demolish, annihilate, eradicate, crush; see destroy 1.To violate
infringe, fail to observe, contravene; see transgress, violate 1.To interrupt
disrupt, discontinue, suspend, recess; see interrupt 2, suspend 2.To make known
To make tractable or spiritless
To happen
come to pass, come into being, occur, develop; see happen 2.
break, the most general of these terms, expresses their basic idea of separating into pieces as a result of impact, stress, etc.; smash and crash add connotations of suddenness, violence, and noise; crush suggests a crumpling or pulverizing pressure; shatter, sudden fragmentation and a scattering of pieces; crack, incomplete separation of parts or a sharp, snapping noise in breaking; split, separation lengthwise, as along the direction of the grain or layers; fracture, the breaking of a hard or rigid substance, as bone or rock; splinter, the splitting of wood, bone, etc. into long, thin, sharp pieces: all of these terms are used figuratively to imply great force or damage to break one's heart, smash one's hopes, crush the opposition, shatter one's nerves, etc.
Object
- deadlock: Germany took a more bellicose attitude toward trying to break the deadlock on the Western Front.
- mold: Flexibility Mortgages are traditionally a little rigid, but more and more are breaking the mold.
- silence: Finally Dave, his eyes on his shoes, his shoes on the console, broke the silence.
- law: Warning: we always prosecute people who break the law.
- barrier: The water market broke the two billion liters barrier in 2002, according to the Well Well Well UK Bottled Water Report 2004.
- cycle: The education agenda is challenging, with schools working hard to break the cycle of urban deprivation.
Preposition: through
- clutter: Our new products break through the mass market clutter to deliver distinctive toys that inspire the imagination and bring out a child's true character.
Adjective modifier
- short: Isles of Scilly: A short break on the island will provide a lasting memory.
- relaxing: The holiday is designed to enable patients and carers who might not be able to otherwise take a holiday to have a relaxing break.
- romantic: Romantic Breaks If you're planning a romantic break, we know just the places to send you for that special experience.
Modifies a noun
- clause: Under no circumstances should a break clause be exerciseable by a landlord within the first 6 months of an Assured Shorthold Tenancy.
Noun used with modifier
- lunch: Drop by for a break from shopping or during your lunch break, pop in for a light lunch or Business Lunch.
- weekend: Their policies are made for travelers going on holidays, business trips, weekend breaks or backpacking for 12 months.
- career: Career breaks - Consideration will be given to requests for a career break, which is special leave without pay for an agreed period.
- coffee: I did a few fun songs then spoke from 10.00am until about 1.00pm with a short coffee break in the middle.
- summer: Current students can spend their summer break in Canada.
Followed by a transitive particle
- down: Having broken down the right they engineered a position where they had players spare on the edge of the box.
Particle object:
- barrier: An Asian genetic counselor, soon joined by two more, helped to break down the communication barriers.
Followed by an intransitive particle
Je plie, et ne romps pas. I bend but do not break.
Break, break, break, On thy cold grey stones,O Sea! And I would that my tongue could utter The thoughts that arise in me.
Was it for this the clay grew tall? öO what made fatuous sunbeams toil To break earth's sleep at all?
Rompre l'os et sucer la substantifique moelle. Break the bone and suck out the very substance.
Man is to be held only by the slightest chains; with the idea that he can break them at pleasure, he submits to them in sport.
Nothing and no one can destroy the Chinese people. Theyare relentless survivors They yield, they bend to the wind, but they never break.
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break.
Sex is something I really don't understand too hot.You never know where the hell you are. I keep making up these sex rules for myself, and then I break them right away.
The world breaks everyone and afterwards many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.
Creep into thy narrow bed, Creep, and let no more be said! Vain thy onset! all stands fast. Thou thyself must break at last. Let the long contention cease! Geese are swans, and swans are geese. Let them have it how they will! Thou art tired; best be still.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Atimeto be born, and atimeto die; atimetoplant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; Atimetoweep, and atimeto laugh; atimetomourn, and a time to dance: A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Words strain, Crack and sometimes break, under the burden, Under the tension, slip, slide, perish, Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place, Will not stay still.
Browse dictionary entries near break
- breadwinner
- breadthwise
- breadth of the market
- breadth
- breadstuff
- breadstick
- breadroot
- breadfruit
- breadbox
- breadboard
