English Dictionary

Definition of “break”

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break (breɪkPronunciation 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. 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) in to accustom (a horse) to the bridle and saddle, to being ridden, etc
  19. (tr) 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. 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 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. service breakbreak of servetennis 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

  • British English: break Pronunciation for break A break is the result of breaking. It caused a bad break to her leg.breɪk NOUN It caused a bad break to her leg.
  • Spanish: ruptura Pronunciation for ruptura nf
  • French: cassure Pronunciation for cassure nf
  • German: Bruch Pronunciation for Bruch nm Brüche
  • Chinese: 弄断Pronunciation for 弄断 n
  • Arabic: كَسْرPronunciation for كَسْر n
  • Portuguese: quebraPronunciation for quebra nf
  • Russian: перерывPronunciation for перерыв nm
  • Croatian: prijelomPronunciation for prijelom nm
  • Czech: přestávkaPronunciation for přestávka nf
  • Danish: brudPronunciation for brud nnt
  • Dutch: onderbrekingPronunciation for onderbreking nf
  • Finnish: murtumaPronunciation for murtuma n
  • Greek: διάλειμμαPronunciation for διάλειμμα nnt
  • Italian: intervalloPronunciation for intervallo nm
  • Japanese: 破壊Pronunciation for 破壊 n
  • Korean: 깨짐Pronunciation for 깨짐 n
  • Norwegian: pausePronunciation for pause nm
  • Polish: złamaniePronunciation for złamanie nf
  • Brazilian Portuguese: fraturaPronunciation for fratura nf
  • European Spanish: ruptura Pronunciation for ruptura nf
  • Swedish: rastPronunciation for rast nutr
  • Thai: การแตกหักPronunciation for การแตกหัก n
  • Turkish: kırıkPronunciation for kırık n
  • Vietnamese: sự vỡPronunciation for sự vỡ n
  • British English: break Pronunciation for break When something breaks, or when you break it, it goes into pieces.I dropped a plate and it broke.breɪk VERB I dropped a plate and it broke.
  • Spanish: romper Pronunciation for romper v
  • French: casser Pronunciation for casser v
  • German: brechen Pronunciation for brechen vt
  • Chinese: 打破Pronunciation for 打破 vt
  • Arabic: يَكْسِرPronunciation for يَكْسِر vt
  • Portuguese: quebrarPronunciation for quebrar vt
  • Russian: прерыватьPronunciation for прерывать vt
  • Croatian: slomitiPronunciation for slomiti v
  • Czech: rozbítPronunciation for rozbít vt rozbíjet
  • Danish: brækkePronunciation for brække v
  • Dutch: brekenPronunciation for breken vt
  • Finnish: rikkoaPronunciation for rikkoa v
  • Greek: σπάωPronunciation for σπάω v
  • Italian: romperePronunciation for rompere v
  • Japanese: 割るPronunciation for 割る v
  • Korean: ...을 깨다Pronunciation for ...을 깨다 vt
  • Norwegian: brekkePronunciation for brekke v
  • Polish: złamaćPronunciation for złamać vt łamać
  • Brazilian Portuguese: quebrarPronunciation for quebrar vt
  • European Spanish: romper Pronunciation for romper v
  • Swedish: ha sönderPronunciation for ha sönder vt
  • Thai: ฝ่าฝืน ขัดขืนPronunciation for ฝ่าฝืน ขัดขืน vt
  • Turkish: kırmakPronunciation for kırmak vt
  • Vietnamese: làm vỡPronunciation for làm vỡ v
  • British English: break If a machine breaks, or if you break it, it stops working.My brother broke the television.breɪk VERB My brother broke the television.
  • French: arrêter v
  • Arabic: يَكْسِرُ v
  • Brazilian Portuguese: quebrar vt

Usage examples

  • Even the Chief Librarian would have to get her to lift it, or break it.
    Garth Nix, LIRAEL: DAUGHTER OF THE CLAYR (2001)
  • It should be a truth universally acknowledged that a person in need of a good break should wend their way to Lainston.
    Country Life (2005)
  • By half-time they trailed by two points, but had plenty of chances to put up a substantial score before the break.
    Irish Times (2002)
  • The other Blues try came just after the break when Justin Wilson kicked a Robin Brooke grubber over the line and picked up to score.
    Glasgow Herald (2001)
  • A rogue wave of titanic proportions loomed out of nowhere and began to break above Loki.
    Rob Mundle, FATAL STORM (2001)

Commonness

All English words that begin with 'B'

Related Terms

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