Definition of 'break'

Word Frequency

break damage or destroy

(breɪk )

Word forms: breaks, breaking, broke, broken

1. transitive verb/intransitive 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.

The plate broke.

The plane broke into three pieces.

Synonyms: shatter, separate, destroy, split More Synonyms of break

2. transitive verb/intransitive 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.

Old bones break easily.

Synonyms: fracture, crack, smash More Synonyms of break

3. transitive verb/intransitive 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.

The bandage must be put on when the blister breaks.

Synonyms: burst, tear, split, puncture More Synonyms of break

4. transitive verb/intransitive verb

When a tool or piece of machinery breaks or when you break it, it is damaged and no longer works.

When the clutch broke, the car was locked into second gear.

Synonyms: stop working, break down, go wrong, give out More Synonyms of break

More Synonyms of break

Word Frequency

break stop or change something

(breɪk )

Word forms: breaks, breaking, broke, broken

1. transitive verb

If someone breaks something, especially a difficult or unpleasant situation that has existed for some time, they end it or change it.

We need to break the vicious cycle of violence and counterviolence.

New proposals have been put forward to break the deadlock among rival factions.

2. transitive 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.

3. transitive verb/intransitive 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.

They were determined to break from precedent.

Synonyms: end, stop, cut, drop More Synonyms of break

4. transitive verb

If you break a habit or if someone breaks you of it, you no longer have that habit.

If you continue to smoke, keep trying to break the habit.

5. intransitive 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.

Synonyms: pause, stop briefly, stop, rest More Synonyms of break

6. 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 minute break from his work would do him good.

7. countable noun

A break is a short vacation.

They are currently taking a short break in Spain.

Synonyms: holiday, leave, vacation, time off More Synonyms of break

8. transitive verb

If you break your journey somewhere, you stop there for a short time so that you can have a rest.

We broke our journey at a small country hotel.

Synonyms: interrupt, stop, suspend More Synonyms of break

Word Frequency

break other uses

(breɪk )

Word forms: breaks, breaking, broke, brokenPlease look at meanings [sense 14]–, [sense 21] to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.

1. transitive 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.

The company has consistently denied it had knowingly broken arms embargoes.

Synonyms: disobey, breach, defy, violate More Synonyms of break

2. intransitive 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.

3. transitive 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.

4. intransitive verb

When a piece of news breaks, people hear about it from the newspapers, television, or radio.

The news broke that Montgomery was under investigation.

5. transitive 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.

Synonyms: reveal, tell, announce, declare More Synonyms of break

6. countable noun

A break is a lucky opportunity that someone gets to achieve something.

[informal]

Her first break came when she was chosen out of 100 guitarists auditioning for a spot on Michael Jackson's tour.

7. transitive verb

If you break a record, you beat the previous record for a particular achievement.

Carl Lewis has broken the world record in the 100 meters.

Synonyms: beat, top, better, exceed More Synonyms of break

8. intransitive verb

When day or dawn breaks, it starts to grow light after the night has ended.

They continued the search as dawn broke.

Synonyms: happen, appear, emerge, occur More Synonyms of break

9. intransitive verb

When a wave breaks, it passes its highest point and turns downward, for example, when it reaches the shore.

Danny listened to the waves breaking against the shore.

Synonyms: pound, crash, batter, lash More Synonyms of break

10. transitive verb

If you break a secret code, you work out how to understand it.

It was feared they could break the Allies' codes.

Synonyms: decode, crack, work out, solve More Synonyms of break

11. intransitive verb

If someone's voice breaks when they are speaking, it changes its sound, for example, because they are sad or afraid.

Godfrey's voice broke, and halted.

Synonyms: hesitate, shake, tremble, falter More Synonyms of break

12. intransitive 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.

13. intransitive verb

If the weather breaks or a storm breaks, it suddenly becomes rainy or stormy after a period of sunshine.

I've been waiting for the weather to break.

Synonyms: change, shift, alter More Synonyms of break

14. See also broke, broken, heartbreak, heartbreaking, heartbroken, outbreak

15. to break even

16. to break new ground

17. to break someone's heart

18. all hell breaks loose

19. to break the ice

20. to break ranks

21. to break wind

Word Frequency

break phrasal verbs

(breɪk )

Word forms: breaks, breaking, broke, broken

Phrasal verbs:

See break down

See break in

See break into

See break off

See break out

See break through

See break up

Video: pronunciation of
break

break in American English

(breɪk )

verb transitiveWord forms: broke, ˈbroken, ˈbreaking

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)

10.

to fail to follow the terms of (a law, promise, agreement, etc.); violate

11.

to open or enter by force

now chiefly in break and enter

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.

to make or create (a path, way, etc.) as by removing obstructions

to cut through or penetrate (silence, darkness, etc.)

17.

to make known; tell; disclose

18.

to decipher

to break a code

to succeed in solving

to break a criminal case

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

23.

to open (a rifle or shotgun) at the breech

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.

to move away suddenly

the base runner broke for second

to move apart, or withdraw, from a clinch in boxing

33. US

to move into a gait other than the trot or pace required

said of a horse in harness racing

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

38.

to fall apart slowly; disintegrate

to dash apart, as a wave on the shore

39.

to suffer a collapse of health, vitality, spirit, etc.

40.

to change into a diphthong

said of vowels

41. US

to curve, dip, or rise near the plate

said of a pitched baseball

42. US

to begin a game of pocket billiards with a break (sense 56)

43. Informal

to happen in a certain way

things were breaking badly

noun

44.

a breaking open or apart; breach; fracture

45.

a breaking in, out, or forth

b. US

a sudden move away or toward; rush; dash

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.

49.

the result of this; a gap, interval, pause, omission, rest, 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

57. US, Basketball

fast break

58. US

a piece of luck, often specif. of good luck

an advantage or opportunity

exceptional or favorable treatment

59. 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

60. 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

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.]

Word origin

ME breken < OE brecan < IE base *bhreg- > breach, breech, Ger brechen, L frangere

Word Frequency

break in British English

(breɪk )

verbWord forms: breaks, breaking, broke or broken

to separate or become separated into two or more pieces

this cup is broken

to damage or become damaged so as to be inoperative

my radio is broken

to crack or become cracked without separating

to burst or cut the surface of (skin, etc)

to discontinue or become discontinued

they broke for lunch

to break a journey

to disperse or become dispersed

the clouds broke

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)

to disclose or be disclosed

he broke the news gently

10. (transitive)

to fracture (a bone) in (a limb, etc)

11. (transitive)

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. (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

15.

to weaken or overwhelm or be weakened or overwhelmed, as in spirit

16. (transitive)

to cut through or penetrate

a cry broke the silence

17. (transitive)

to improve on or surpass

to break a record

18. (transitive; often foll by in)

to accustom (a horse) to the bridle and saddle, to being ridden, etc

19. (transitive; often foll by of)

to cause (a person) to give up (a habit)

this cure will break you of smoking

20. (transitive)

to weaken the impact or force of

this net will break his fall

21. (transitive)

to decipher

to break a code

22. (transitive)

to lose the order of

to break ranks

23. (transitive)

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 ten-pound note

25. (transitive) mainly military

to demote to a lower rank

26. (intr; often foll by from or out of)

to proceed suddenly

27. (intransitive)

to come into being

light broke over the mountains

28. (intr; foll by into or out into)

to burst into song, laughter, etc

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

to collapse into foam or surf

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

34. (intransitive)

(of prices, esp stock exchange quotations) to fall sharply

35. (intransitive)

to make a sudden effort, as in running, horse racing, etc

36. (intransitive) cricket

(of a ball) to change direction on bouncing

37. (transitive) cricket

(of a player) to knock down at least one bail from (a wicket)

38. (intransitive) billiards, snooker

to scatter the balls at the start of a game

39. (intransitive) horse racing

to commence running in a race

they broke even

40. (intransitive) boxing, wrestling

(of two fighters) to separate from a clinch

41. (intransitive) music

(of the male voice) to undergo a change in register, quality, and range at puberty

(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)

to open the breech of (certain firearms) by snapping the barrel away from the butt on its hinge

44. (transitive)

to interrupt the flow of current in (an electrical circuit)

Compare make1 (sense 27)

45. (intransitive) informal, mainly US

to become successful; make a breakthrough

46. break bread

47. break camp

48. break ground

49. break one's back

50. break the back of

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

58.

a brief respite or interval between two actions

a break from one's toil

59.

a sudden rush, esp to escape

to make a break for freedom

60.

a breach in a relationship

she has made a break from her family

61.

any sudden interruption in a continuous action

62. British

a short period between classes at school

US and Canadian equivalent: recess

63. informal

a fortunate opportunity, esp to prove oneself

64. informal

a piece of (good or bad) luck

65.

(esp in a stock exchange) a sudden and substantial decline in prices

66. prosody

a pause in a line of verse; caesura

67. billiards, snooker

a series of successful shots during one turn

the points scored in such a series

68. billiards, snooker

the opening shot with the cue ball that scatters the placed balls

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

73.

a. jazz

a short usually improvised solo passage

an instrumental passage in a pop song

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

77. boxing, wrestling

a command by a referee for two opponents to separate

Word origin

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

Examples of 'break' in a sentence
break

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

One thing you've got to say about George, he's been real conscientious helping us break in his replacement.The Raiders left in platoons of one hundred, which would break into smaller groups once they were clear of the battlefield.Any of them come close, especially Sammy, get out there and break their legs.