Definition of 'break'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense breaks
, present participle breaking
, past tense broke
, past participle broken
1. verb
When an object breaks or when you break it, it suddenly separates into two or more pieces, often because it has been hit
or dropped.
He fell through the window, breaking the glass.
[VERB noun]
The plate broke.
[VERB]
Break the cauliflower into florets.
[VERB noun + into]
The plane broke into three pieces.
[VERB + into]
...bombed-out buildings, surrounded by broken glass and rubble. [VERB-ed]
The only sound was the crackle of breaking ice.
[VERB-ing]
2. verb
If you break a part of your body such as your leg, your arm, or your nose, or if a bone breaks, you are
injured because a bone cracks or splits.
She broke a leg in a skiing accident.
[VERB noun]
Old bones break easily.
[VERB]
Several people were treated for broken bones. [VERB-ed]
Break is also a noun.
It has caused a bad break to Gabriella's leg.
3. verb
If a surface, cover, or seal breaks or if something breaks it, a hole or
tear is made in it, so that a substance can pass through.
Once you've broken the seal of a bottle there's no way you can put it back together
again.
[VERB noun]
The bandage must be put on when the blister breaks.
[VERB]
Do not use the cream on broken skin. [VERB-ed]
4. verb
When the clutch broke, the car was locked into second gear.
[VERB]
Tenants do not have to worry about leaking roofs and broken washing machines. [VERB-ed]
The lead biker broke his bike chain.
[VERB noun]
[Also V-ed] 5. verb
If you break a rule, promise, or agreement, you do something that you should not do according
to that rule, promise, or agreement.
We didn't know we were breaking the law.
[VERB noun]
The company has consistently denied it had knowingly broken arms embargoes.
[VERB noun]
...broken promises. [VERB-ed]
6. verb
If you break free or loose, you free yourself from something or escape from it.
She broke free by thrusting her elbow into his chest.
[VERB adjective]
A young child broke loose from the crowd and ran toward her.
[VERB adjective]
7. verb
If someone breaks something,
especially a difficult or unpleasant situation that has existed for some time, they end it or
change it.
New proposals have been put forward to break the deadlock among rival factions.
[VERB noun]
The country is heading towards elections which may break the party's long hold on
power.
[VERB noun]
Break is also a noun.
Nothing that might lead to a break in the deadlock has been discussed yet.
8. verb
If someone or something breaks a
silence, they
say something or make a noise after a long period of silence.
Hugh broke the silence. 'Is she always late?' he asked.
[VERB noun]
The unearthly silence was broken by a shrill screaming.
[VERB noun]
9. countable noun
10. verb
If you break with a group of people or a traditional way of doing things, or you break your connection with them, you stop being involved with that group or stop doing
things in that way.
In 1959, Akihito broke with imperial tradition by marrying a commoner.
[VERB + with]
They were determined to break from precedent.
[VERB + from]
They have yet to break the link with the trade unions.
[VERB noun + with]
[Also VERB noun] Break is also a noun.
Making a completely clean break with the past, the couple got rid of all their old
furniture.
11. verb
If you break a habit or if someone breaks you of it, you no longer have that habit.
We don't like breaking habits when it comes to food.
[VERB noun]
The professor hoped to break the students of the habit of looking for easy answers.
[VERB noun + of]
12. verb
He never let his jailers break him.
[VERB noun]
The newspapers and television can make or break you.
[VERB noun]
Ken's wife, Vicki, said: 'He's a broken man.' [VERB-ed]
13. verb
If someone breaks for a short period of time, they rest or change from what they are doing for a short
period.
They broke for lunch.
[VERB]
14. countable noun
A break is a short period of time when you have a rest or a change from what you are doing,
especially if you are working or if you are in a
boring or unpleasant situation.
They may be able to help with childcare so that you can have a break.
I thought a 15 min break from his work would do him good.
[+ from]
She rang Moira during a coffee break.
15. See also
lunch break,
tea break
16. countable noun
A break is a short holiday.
They are currently taking a short break in Spain.
[+ in]
17. verb
If you break your journey
somewhere, you stop there for a short time so that you can have a rest.
Because of the heat we broke our journey at a small country hotel.
[VERB noun]
18. verb
To break the force of something such as a blow or fall means to weaken its effect, for example
by getting in the way of it.
He sustained serious neck injuries after he broke someone's fall.
[VERB noun]
19. verb
20. verb
When you break a piece of bad news to someone, you
tell it to them, usually in a kind way.
Then Louise broke the news that she was leaving me.
[VERB noun]
I worried for ages and decided that I had better break it to her.
[VERB noun + to]
21. countable noun
A break is a
lucky opportunity that someone gets to achieve something.
[informal] He got his first break appearing in a variety show.
22. verb
If you break a record, you beat the previous record for a particular
achievement.
He has broken the world record in the 100 metres.
[VERB noun]
The film had broken all box office records.
[VERB noun]
23. See also
record-breaking
24. verb
25. See also
daybreak
26. verb
27. verb
If you break a secret code, you work out how to understand it.
It was feared they could break the Allies' codes.
[VERB noun]
28. verb
29. verb
When a boy's voice breaks, it becomes deeper and sounds more like a man's voice.
He sings with the strained discomfort of someone whose voice hasn't quite broken.
[VERB]
30. verb
31. verb
In
tennis, if you break your opponent's serve, you win a game in which your opponent is serving.
The world No 5 broke the 25-year-old Cypriot's serve twice.
[VERB noun]
Break is also a noun.
A single break of serve settled the first two sets.
32. See also
broke,
broken,
heartbreak,
heartbreaking,
heartbroken,
outbreak
33.
34.
See
give sb a break
35.
37.
to break cover
38.
to break even
42.
to break the ice
43.
to break ranks
44.
to break wind
Phrasal verbs:
See
break away
See
break down
See
break in
See
break into
See
break off
See
break out
See
break through
See
break up
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
break
Word Frequency
break in British English
verbWord forms: breaks, breaking, broke or broken
1.
to separate or become separated into two or more pieces
this cup is broken
3.
to
crack or become cracked without separating
4.
to
burst or cut the surface of (skin, etc)
7. (transitive)
to fail to observe (an agreement, promise, law, etc)
to break one's word
8. (foll by with)
to discontinue an association (with)
12.
to bring or come to an end
the summer weather broke at last
13. (transitive)
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)
they broke jail
they broke out of jail
18. (transitive; often foll by in)
19. (transitive; often foll by of)
to cause (a person) to give up (a
habit)
this cure will break you of smoking
22. (transitive)
to lose the order of
to break ranks
24. (when intr, foll by into)
to obtain, give, or receive smaller units in exchange for; change
to break a ten-pound note
27. (intransitive)
to come into being
light broke over the mountains
28. (intr; foll by into or out into)
a.
to burst into song,
laughter, etc
b.
to change to a faster
pace
29. (transitive)
to open with explosives
to break a safe
30. (intransitive) (of waves)
a. (often foll by against)
to strike violently
31. (intransitive)
(esp of fish) to appear above the surface of the water
32. (intransitive)
(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. (intransitive) informal, mainly US
to turn out in a specified manner
things are breaking well
35. (intransitive)
to make a sudden effort, as in running, horse racing, etc
41. (intransitive) music
a.
(of the male voice) to undergo a change in register, quality, and range at
puberty
b.
(of the voice or some instruments) to undergo a change in tone, quality, etc, when
changing registers
42. (intransitive) phonetics
(of a vowel) to turn into a
diphthong, esp as a development in the language
43. (transitive)
44. (transitive)
to
interrupt the flow of current in (an electrical circuit)
Compare
make1 (sense 27)46.
break bread
47.
break camp
48.
break ground
49.
break one's back
51.
break the bank
52.
break the ice
53.
break the mould
54.
break service
55.
break wind
noun
56.
the act or result of breaking; fracture
57.
a crack formed as the result of breaking
61.
any sudden
interruption in a continuous action
65.
(esp in a stock exchange) a sudden and
substantial
decline in prices
67. billiards, snooker
a.
a series of successful
shots during one turn
b.
the points scored in such a series
68. billiards, snooker
a.
the opening shot with the
cue ball that scatters the placed balls
b.
the right to take this first shot
69. Also called: service break, break of serve tennis
the act or instance of breaking an opponent's service
70.
one of the intervals in a sporting contest
71. horse racing
the start of a race
an even break
72.
(in
tenpin bowling) failure to knock down all the pins after the second attempt
74.
a
discontinuity in an electrical circuit
75.
access to a radio channel by a citizens' band
operator
76. a variant spelling of
brake1 (sense 6)
exclamation
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
Old English brecan; related to Old Frisian breka, Gothic brikan, Old High German brehhan, Latin frangere Sanskrit bhráj bursting forth
Word Frequency
break in American English
verb transitiveWord forms: broke, ˈbroken, ˈbreaking
1.
to cause to come apart by force; split or crack sharply into pieces;
smash; burst
2.
a.
to cut open the surface of (soil, the skin, etc.)
b.
to fracture a bone of
4.
to make
unusable or inoperative by cracking,
disrupting, etc.
7.
to lower in rank or
grade; demote
8.
a.
to reduce to poverty or bankruptcy
b.
to ruin the chance for success of
c.
to
wreck the health, spirit, etc. of
9.
to surpass (a record)
10.
to fail to follow the terms of (a law, promise, agreement, etc.);
violate
11.
a.
to open or enter by force
now chiefly in break and enterb.
to escape from by force
to break prison
12.
to disrupt the order or completeness of; make irregular
the troops broke formation and ran
13.
to interrupt (a journey, electric circuit, etc.)
14.
to reduce the force of by interrupting (a fall, the wind, etc.)
15.
to bring to a sudden end
to break a tie
16.
a.
to make or create (a path, way, etc.) as by removing
obstructions
b.
to cut through or penetrate (silence, darkness, etc.)
17.
to make known; tell; disclose
19.
to make (a will)
invalid by legal process
20.
to prove (an
alibi) to be false
21.
to begin; open; start
22.
to exchange (a bill or coin) for smaller units
24. Tennis
to win a game from (an opponent who is serving)
verb intransitive
25.
to split into pieces; come apart; burst
26.
to scatter; disperse
to break and run
27.
to force one's way (through
obstacles or resistance)
28.
to
quarrel; stop associating (with)
29.
to become unusable or inoperative; go out of order
30.
to
suffer a sudden fall in prices, financial condition, etc.
31.
to change suddenly, as by a sharp rise, fall, turn,
shift, etc.
his voice broke; the hot spell broke
32.
a.
to move away suddenly
the base runner broke for second
b.
to move apart, or
withdraw, from a clinch in boxing
34.
to begin suddenly to utter, perform, etc.
with into, forth in, or out in to break into song
35.
to come suddenly into being, evidence, or general knowledge
day was breaking; the story broke
36.
to appear suddenly above water, as a
periscope, fish, etc.
37. US
to stop activity temporarily
we broke for lunch
39.
to suffer a collapse of health,
vitality, spirit, etc.
40.
to change into a diphthong
said of vowels43. Informal
to happen in a certain way
things were breaking badly
noun
44.
a breaking open or apart; breach; fracture
46.
the result of a breaking; broken place;
separation; crack
47.
a beginning or appearance
the break of day
48.
an interruption of a regular or continuous arrangement, action, etc.
50.
a breach in
friendly relations
51.
a sudden change, as in weather
52. US
an escape, as from prison
53. US
a sudden lowering or drop, as of prices
54.
an
imperfection;
flaw
55.
an
unbroken series or sequence, as of points in billiards
56. US
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
58. US
a.
a piece of luck, often specif. of good luck
b.
an advantage or opportunity
c.
exceptional or favorable treatment
59. Music
a.
the point where one register changes to another
b.
the
abrupt change in quality of a voice or instrument at this point
c.
in jazz, a brief, usually improvised passage by one band member who continues to
play while the others stop
60. Printing
a.
a space between
paragraphs
b.
the place at which a column or page of text stops, to be continued as on another
column or page
c.
a point at which a word is divided, as at the end of a line
Idioms:
SYNONYMY NOTE:
break, the most general of these terms, expresses their basic idea of separating into pieces
as a result of impact, stress, etc.; ,
smash,
crash1 add connotations of suddenness, violence, and noise; ,
crush suggests a crumpling or pulverizing pressure; ,
shatter, sudden fragmentation and a scattering of pieces; ,
crack1, incomplete separation of parts or a sharp, snapping noise in breaking; ,
split, separation lengthwise, as along the direction of grain or layers; ,
fracture, the breaking of a hard or rigid substance, as bone or rock; ,
splinter, the splitting of wood, etc. into long, thin, sharp pieces. All of these terms are
used figuratively to imply great force or damage [to break someone's heart, smash someone's hopes, crush the opposition, shatter someone's nerves, etc.]Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Example sentences including
break
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.
Read more…
Trends of
break
View usage for:
In other languages
break
British English: break
/breɪk/ NOUN
A break is the result of breaking.
It caused a bad break to her leg.
- American English: break
- Arabic: كَسْر
- Brazilian Portuguese: fratura
- Chinese: 弄断
- Croatian: prijelom
- Czech: přestávka
- Danish: brud
- Dutch: breuk
- European Spanish: fractura
- Finnish: murtuma
- French: cassure
- German: Bruch
- Greek: σπάσιμο
- Italian: frattura
- Japanese: 破壊
- Korean: 골절
- Norwegian: pause
- Polish: złamanie
- European Portuguese: fractura
- Romanian: ruptură
- Russian: перерыв
- Latin American Spanish: ruptura
- Swedish: rast
- Thai: การแตกหัก
- Turkish: kırık
- Ukrainian: перелом
- Vietnamese: sự vỡ
British English: break
/breɪk/ VERB
smash When something breaks, or when you break it, it goes into pieces.
I dropped a plate and it broke.
- American English: break
- Arabic: يَكْسِر
- Brazilian Portuguese: quebrar
- Chinese: 打破
- Croatian: slomiti
- Czech: rozbít
- Danish: brække
- Dutch: breken
- European Spanish: romper
- Finnish: rikkoa
- French: casser
- German: brechen
- Greek: σπάω
- Italian: rompere
- Japanese: 割る
- Korean: ...을 깨다 금이 가다
- Norwegian: brekke
- Polish: złamać
- European Portuguese: quebrar
- Romanian: a sparge
- Russian: прерывать
- Latin American Spanish: romper
- Swedish: ha sönder
- Thai: ฝ่าฝืน ขัดขืน
- Turkish: kırmak
- Ukrainian: розбивати
- Vietnamese: làm vỡ
British English: break /breɪk/ VERB
stop working If a machine breaks, or if you break it, it stops working.
My brother broke the television.
- American English: break
- 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
- Polish: zepsuć
- European Portuguese: estragar
- Romanian: a se strica
- Russian: сломать
- Latin American Spanish: romperfallar
- Swedish: gå sönder
- Thai: เสีย ชำรุด
- Turkish: bozmak
- Ukrainian: ламати
- Vietnamese: hỏng hóc
Nearby words of
break
Source
Definition of break from the
Collins English Dictionary
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
feat or feet?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
feat
feet
Their journey was an astonishing of endurance.
cornflour or cornflower?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
cornflour
cornflower
Blend the with a little milk.
gait or gate?
Which version is correct?
geezer or geyser?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
geezer
geyser
Do you know this ?
cannon or canon?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
cannon
canon
One of the landed around three miles away.
Your score:
Word of the day
pargasite
a dark green inosilicate mineral, named after Pargas in Finland where it was first described in 1814
Latest Word Submissions
self-isolation
Jan 31, 2020
centibillionaire
Jan 31, 2020
wet market
Jan 31, 2020
Brexit Day
Jan 31, 2020
Unlock language with the Paul Noble method
No books. No rote memorization. No chance of failure. Your chance to have a one-to-one lesson with best-selling language expert Paul Noble, try a FREE audio sample of his brand new Mandarin Chinese course.
Read more
The evolution of English
Last month saw the publication of the new fourth edition of the Collins COBUILD English Usage, an in-depth guide to modern and authentic English. To celebrate this event, we thought we’d look at some of the ways in which English usage is evolving in today’s world.
Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Learning English: Making suggestions when travelling
Take a boat? Stay overnight somewhere? This article looks at some useful phrases you can use when discussing options about what to do when travelling.
Read more
13th edition of the Collins Dictionary out now!
Updated with all the very latest new words and senses, this new 13th edition is an unparalleled resource for word lovers, word gamers, and word geeks everywhere.
#homeoflivingenglish
Read more
New collocations added to dictionary
Collocations are words that are often used together and are brilliant at providing natural sounding language for your speech and writing.
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Updating our Usage
There are many diverse influences on the way that English is used across the world today. We look at some of the ways in which the language is changing. Read our series of blogs to find out more.
Read more
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
stake or steak?
Which version is correct?
it's or its?
Which version is correct?
scene or seen?
Which version is correct?
broach or brooch?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
broach
brooch
It was difficult to the subject with him.
brake or break?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
brake
break
It caused her to hard.
Your score: