break

n.

1. 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. *

2. The effect of breaking

   crack, split, tear, separation; see fracture 2, 3, hole 1.

3. A pause

   intermission, interim, lapse, rest; see pause 1, recess 1.

4. Quarrel and separation

   rift, difference, difference of opinion, altercation, parting of the ways; see also sense 1, disagreement 1, dispute.

5. Fortunate change or event: often plural

   good luck, accident, favorable circumstances, opportunity; see luck 1.

break

v.

1. 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.

2. 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*.

3. 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.

4. To bring to ruin or to an end

   demolish, annihilate, eradicate, crush; see destroy 1.

5. To violate

   infringe, fail to observe, contravene; see transgress, violate 1.

6. To interrupt

   disrupt, discontinue, suspend, recess; see interrupt 2, suspend 2.

7. To make known

   disclose, tell, divulge; see reveal 1.

8. To make tractable or spiritless

   subdue, tame, wear down; see defeat 1, teach 2.

9. 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.