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Definition of “break”

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Word Frequency

Word Frequency of break

break (breɪk Pronunciation for break ) 

Definitions

verb

Word forms:  breaks, breaking, broke, broken
  1. to separate or become separated into two or more pieces ⇒ this cup is broken
  2. to damage or become damaged so as to be inoperative ⇒ my radio is broken
  3. to crack or become cracked without separating
  4. to burst or cut the surface of (skin, etc)
  5. to discontinue or become discontinued ⇒ they broke for lunch, to break a journey
  6. to disperse or become dispersed ⇒ the clouds broke
  7. tr to fail to observe (an agreement, promise, law, etc) ⇒ to break one's word
  8. foll by with to discontinue an association (with)
  9. to disclose or be disclosed ⇒ he broke the news gently
  10. tr to fracture (a bone) in (a limb, etc)
  11. tr to divide (something complete or perfect) ⇒ to break a set of books
  12. to bring or come to an end ⇒ the summer weather broke at last
  13. tr to bring to an end by or as if by force ⇒ to break a strike
  14. when intr, often foll by out to escape (from) ⇒ he broke jail, he broke out of jail
  15. to weaken or overwhelm or be weakened or overwhelmed, as in spirit
  16. tr to cut through or penetrate ⇒ a cry broke the silence
  17. tr to improve on or surpass ⇒ to break a record
  18. tr often foll by in to accustom (a horse) to the bridle and saddle, to being ridden, etc
  19. tr often foll by of to cause (a person) to give up (a habit) ⇒ this cure will break you of smoking
  20. tr to weaken the impact or force of ⇒ this net will break his fall
  21. tr to decipher ⇒ to break a code
  22. tr to lose the order of ⇒ to break ranks
  23. tr to reduce to poverty or the state of bankruptcy
  24. when intr, foll by into to obtain, give, or receive smaller units in exchange for; change ⇒ to break a pound note
  25. tr (mainly military) to demote to a lower rank
  26. intr; often foll by from or out of to proceed suddenly
  27. intr to come into being ⇒ light broke over the mountains
  28. intr; foll by into or out into
    1. to burst into song, laughter, etc
    2. to change to a faster pace
  29. tr to open with explosives ⇒ to break a safe
  30. intr (of waves)
    1. often foll by against to strike violently
    2. to collapse into foam or surf
  31. intr (esp of fish) to appear above the surface of the water
  32. intr (of the amniotic fluid surrounding an unborn baby) to be released when the amniotic sac ruptures in the first stage of labour ⇒ her waters have broken
  33. intr (informal (mainly US) to turn out in a specified manner ⇒ things are breaking well
  34. intr (of prices, esp stock exchange quotations) to fall sharply
  35. intr to make a sudden effort, as in running, horse racing, etc
  36. intr (cricket) (of a ball) to change direction on bouncing
  37. tr (cricket) (of a player) to knock down at least one bail from (a wicket)
  38. intr (billiards, snooker) to scatter the balls at the start of a game
  39. intr (horse racing) to commence running in a race ⇒ they broke even
  40. intr (boxing, wrestling) (of two fighters) to separate from a clinch
  41. intr (music)
    1. (of the male voice) to undergo a change in register, quality, and range at puberty
    2. (of the voice or some instruments) to undergo a change in tone, quality, etc, when changing registers
  42. intr (phonetics) (of a vowel) to turn into a diphthong, esp as a development in the language
  43. tr to open the breech of (certain firearms) by snapping the barrel away from the butt on its hinge
  44. tr to interrupt the flow of current in (an electrical circuit) Compare make1 (sense 27)
  45. intr (informal (mainly US) to become successful; make a breakthrough

  46. See break bread

  47. See break camp

  48. See break ground

  49. to overwork or work very hard

  50. See break the back of

  51. See break the bank

  52. See break the ice

  53. See break the mould

  54. See break service

  55. See break wind

noun

  1. the act or result of breaking; fracture
  2. a crack formed as the result of breaking
  3. a brief respite or interval between two actions ⇒ a break from one's toil
  4. a sudden rush, esp to escape ⇒ to make a break for freedom
  5. a breach in a relationship ⇒ she has made a break from her family
  6. any sudden interruption in a continuous action
  7. (British) a short period between classes at school US and Canadian equivalent: recess
  8. (informal) a fortunate opportunity, esp to prove oneself
  9. (informal) a piece of (good or bad) luck
  10. (esp in a stock exchange) a sudden and substantial decline in prices
  11. (prosody) a pause in a line of verse; caesura
  12. (billiards, snooker)
    1. a series of successful shots during one turn
    2. the points scored in such a series
  13. (billiards, snooker)
    1. the opening shot with the cue ball that scatters the placed balls
    2. the right to take this first shot
  14. Also called: service break, break of serve (tennis) the act or instance of breaking an opponent's service
  15. one of the intervals in a sporting contest
  16. (horse racing) the start of a race ⇒ an even break
  17. (in tenpin bowling) failure to knock down all the pins after the second attempt
    1. (jazz) a short usually improvised solo passage
    2. an instrumental passage in a pop song
  19. a discontinuity in an electrical circuit
  20. access to a radio channel by a citizens' band operator
  21. a variant spelling of brake1 (sense 6)

exclamation

  1. (boxing, wrestling) a command by a referee for two opponents to separate

See also

breakaway, break down, break even, break in, break into, break off, break out, break through, break up, break with

Word Origin

Old English brecan; related to Old Frisian breka, Gothic brikan, Old High German brehhan, Latin frangere Sanskrit bhráj bursting forth

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry
= shatter, separate, destroy, split, divide, crack, snap, smash, crush, fragment, demolish, sever, trash, disintegrate, splinter, smash to smithereens, shiver,
= fracture, crack, smash
= burst, tear, split, puncture, perforate
= stop working, break down, go wrong, give out, pack up, have had it, seize up, cease to function, conk out, die, go on the blink, go kaput, go phut
= disobey, breach, defy, violate, disregard, flout, infringe, contravene, transgress, go counter to, infract,
= stop, cut, check, suspend, interrupt, cut short, discontinue
= disturb, cut, interrupt, interfere with
= end, stop, cut, drop, give up, abandon, suspend, interrupt, terminate, put an end to, discontinue, bring to an end, pull the plug on, call a halt to
= give up, stop, kick, abandon, quit, cut out, pack in, leave off, say goodbye to
= weaken, undermine, cow, tame, subdue, demoralize, dispirit
= ruin, destroy, crush, humiliate, bring down, bankrupt, degrade, impoverish, demote, make bankrupt, bring to ruin
= pause, stop briefly, stop, rest, halt, cease, take a break, have a breather
= interrupt, stop, suspend
= cushion, reduce, ease, moderate, diminish, temper, soften, lessen, alleviate, lighten
= be revealed, come out, be reported, be published, be announced, be made public, be proclaimed, be let out, be imparted, be divulged, come out in the wash
= reveal, tell, announce, declare, disclose, proclaim, divulge, make known
= beat, top, better, exceed, go beyond, excel, surpass, outstrip, outdo, cap
= happen, appear, emerge, occur, erupt, burst out, come into being, come forth suddenly
= pound, crash, batter, lash, buffet
= decode, crack, work out, solve, interpret, decipher, unscramble, decrypt, descramble
= hesitate, shake, tremble, falter, waver, stammer, stutter, speak haltingly
= change, shift, alter
= fracture, opening, tear, hole, split, crack, gap, rent, breach, rift, rupture, gash, cleft, fissure
= let-up, halt, pause, suspension, lessening, recess, interruption, respite, lull, cessation, remission, breathing space, slackening, hiatus
= gap, opening, space, hole, divide, crack, breach, rift, cleft, chink, crevice, cranny, discontinuity, interstice
= interval, pause, recess, interlude, intermission, entr'acte
= holiday, leave, vacation, time off, recess, awayday, schoolie, accumulated day off or ADO
= stroke of luck, chance, opportunity, advantage, fortune, opening
= breach, split, dispute, separation, rift, rupture, alienation, severance, disaffection, schism, estrangement, disunion, division

Translations for 'break'

  • British English: breakPronunciation for break A break is the result of breaking. It caused a bad break to her leg.breɪk NOUN
  • Arabic: كَسْرPronunciation for كَسْر
  • Brazilian Portuguese: fraturaPronunciation for fratura
  • Chinese: 弄断Pronunciation for 弄断
  • Croatian: prijelomPronunciation for prijelom
  • Czech: přestávkaPronunciation for přestávka
  • Danish: brudPronunciation for brud
  • Dutch: breukPronunciation for breuk
  • European Spanish: fracturaPronunciation for fractura
  • Finnish: murtumaPronunciation for murtuma
  • French: cassurePronunciation for cassure
  • German: BruchPronunciation for Bruch Brüche
  • Greek: σπάσιμοPronunciation for σπάσιμο
  • Italian: fratturaPronunciation for frattura
  • Japanese: 破壊Pronunciation for 破壊
  • Korean: 골절Pronunciation for 골절
  • Norwegian: pausePronunciation for pause
  • Polish: złamaniePronunciation for złamanie
  • Portuguese: fracturaPronunciation for fractura
  • Romanian: ruptură rupturi
  • Russian: перерывPronunciation for перерыв
  • Spanish: rupturaPronunciation for ruptura
  • Swedish: rastPronunciation for rast
  • Thai: การแตกหักPronunciation for การแตกหัก
  • Turkish: kırıkPronunciation for kırık
  • Ukrainian: перелом
  • Vietnamese: sự vỡPronunciation for sự vỡ
  • British English: breakPronunciation for break When something breaks, or when you break it, it goes into pieces.I dropped a plate and it broke.breɪk VERBsmash
  • Arabic: يَكْسِرPronunciation for يَكْسِر
  • Brazilian Portuguese: quebrarPronunciation for quebrar
  • Chinese: 打破Pronunciation for 打破
  • Croatian: slomitiPronunciation for slomiti
  • Czech: rozbítPronunciation for rozbít rozbíjet
  • Danish: brækkePronunciation for brække
  • Dutch: brekenPronunciation for breken
  • European Spanish: romperPronunciation for romper
  • Finnish: rikkoaPronunciation for rikkoa
  • French: casserPronunciation for casser
  • German: brechenPronunciation for brechen
  • Greek: σπάωPronunciation for σπάω
  • Italian: romperePronunciation for rompere
  • Japanese: 割るPronunciation for 割る
  • Korean: ...을 깨다Pronunciation for ...을 깨다금이 가다
  • Norwegian: brekkePronunciation for brekke
  • Polish: złamaćPronunciation for złamać łamać
  • Portuguese: quebrarPronunciation for quebrar
  • Romanian: a sparge
  • Russian: прерыватьPronunciation for прерывать
  • Spanish: romperPronunciation for romper
  • Swedish: ha sönderPronunciation for ha sönder
  • Thai: ฝ่าฝืน ขัดขืนPronunciation for ฝ่าฝืน ขัดขืน
  • Turkish: kırmakPronunciation for kırmak
  • Ukrainian: розбивати розбити
  • Vietnamese: làm vỡPronunciation for làm vỡ
  • British English: breakbreɪk If a machine breaks, or if you break it, it stops working.My brother broke the television. VERBstop working
  • Arabic: يَكْسِرُ
  • Brazilian Portuguese: quebrar
  • Chinese: 弄坏
  • Croatian: razviti
  • Czech: rozbít (se)stroj
  • Danish: ødelægge
  • Dutch: kapot gaan
  • European Spanish: romper
  • Finnish: rikkoa
  • French: arrêterarrêter de fonctionner
  • German: brechen
  • Greek: χαλώ
  • Italian: rompere
  • Japanese: 壊れる/壊す
  • Korean: 중단하다
  • Norwegian: ødelegge ødela
  • Polish: zepsuć
  • Portuguese: estragar
  • Romanian: a se strica
  • Russian: сломать
  • Spanish: romperfallar
  • Swedish: gå sönder
  • Thai: เสีย ชำรุด
  • Turkish: bozmak
  • Ukrainian: ламати зламати
  • Vietnamese: hỏng hóc

Example Sentences Including 'break'

Any of them come close, especially Sammy, get out there and break their legs.
Anthony Masters CASCADES - THE DAY OF THE DEAD (2001)
Carlos and Real found it a shocking bother trying to break Bayern's spirit.
Glasgow Herald (2001)
Goals by Roscommon's John Hanley and Galway's Savage left the sides deadlocked at 1-5 each at the break.
Irish Times (2002)
Grand chance for Coulthard This could be the Scot's year, with a world title only a lucky break or two away
Glasgow Herald (2001)
One thing you've got to say about George, he's been real conscientious helping us break in his replacement.
Anthony Masters CASCADES - THE DAY OF THE DEAD (2001)
Other men went round telling people to open their windows, otherwise the shock waves might break them.
Alexander Games (compiler) THE ESSENTIAL SPIKE MILLIGAN (2002)
Tall waves break against the forbidding granite wall, conjuring up memories of the violent era of smuggling and wrecking.
Country Life (2005)
The Raiders left in platoons of one hundred, which would break into smaller groups once they were clear of the battlefield.
Jennifer Fallon TREASON KEEP (2001)
They are pursuing crafts and tailoring in an attempt to earn money for themselves and break free from prostitution.
Irish Times (2002)

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