break

/brˈeɪk/

Explore definitions, synonyms, and language insights of break

Definitions

Noun
some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity; "the telephone is an annoying interruption"; "there was a break in the action when a player was hurt"
Noun
an unexpected piece of good luck; "he finally got his big break"
Noun
(geology) a crack in the earth''s crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other; "they built it right over a geological fault"; "he studied the faulting of the earth''s crust"
Noun
a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations"
Noun
a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute break"; "he took time out to recuperate"
Noun
the act of breaking something; "the breakage was unavoidable"
Noun
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
Noun
breaking of hard tissue such as bone; "it was a nasty fracture"; "the break seems to have been caused by a fall"
Noun
the occurrence of breaking; "the break in the dam threatened the valley"
Noun
an abrupt change in the tone or register of the voice (as at puberty or due to emotion); "then there was a break in her voice"
Noun
the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool
Noun
(tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving; "he was up two breaks in the second set"
Noun
an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity; "it was presented without commercial breaks"; "there was a gap in his account"
Noun
a sudden dash; "he made a break for the open door"
Noun
any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare; "the break in the eighth frame cost him the match"
Noun
an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned"
Verb
terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky streak"; "break the cycle of poverty"
Verb
become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart"
Verb
render inoperable or ineffective; "You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!"
Verb
ruin completely; "He busted my radio!"
Verb
destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments; "He broke the glass plate"; "She broke the match"
Verb
act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises; "offend all laws of humanity"; "violate the basic laws or human civilization"; "break a law"; "break a promise"
Verb
move away or escape suddenly; "The horses broke from the stable"; "Three inmates broke jail"; "Nobody can break out--this prison is high security"
Verb
scatter or part; "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"
Verb
force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger"
Verb
prevent completion; "stop the project"; "break off the negotiations"
Verb
enter someone''s (virtual or real) property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act; "Someone broke in while I was on vacation"; "They broke into my car and stole my radio!"; "who broke into my account last night?"
Verb
make submissive, obedient, or useful; "The horse was tough to break"; "I broke in the new intern"
Verb
fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns; "This sentence violates the rules of syntax"
Verb
surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break a record"
Verb
make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret; "The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold"; "The actress won''t reveal how old she is"; "bring out the truth"; "he broke the news to her"; "unwrap the evidence in the murder case"
Verb
come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices broke in the air"
Verb
stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident"
Verb
interrupt a continued activity; "She had broken with the traditional patterns"
Verb
make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one''s own by quitting or fleeing; "The ranks broke"
Verb
curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The surf broke"
Verb
lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"
Verb
be broken in; "If the new teacher won''t break, we''ll add some stress"
Verb
come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"
Verb
vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat plain was broken by tall mesas"
Verb
cause to give up a habit; "She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes"
Verb
give up; "break cigarette smoking"
Verb
come forth or begin from a state of latency; "The first winter storm broke over New York"
Verb
happen or take place; "Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months"
Verb
cause the failure or ruin of; "His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage"; "This play will either make or break the playwright"
Verb
invalidate by judicial action; "The will was broken"
Verb
discontinue an association or relation; go different ways; "The business partners broke over a tax question"; "The couple separated after 25 years of marriage"; "My friend and I split up"
Verb
assign to a lower position; reduce in rank; "She was demoted because she always speaks up"; "He was broken down to Sergeant"
Verb
reduce to bankruptcy; "My daughter''s fancy wedding is going to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets smashed him"
Verb
change directions suddenly
Verb
emerge from the surface of a body of water; "The whales broke"
Verb
break down, literally or metaphorically; "The wall collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The dam broke"; "The roof collapsed"; "The wall gave in"; "The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice"
Verb
do a break dance; "Kids were break-dancing at the street corner"
Verb
exchange for smaller units of money; "I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy"
Verb
destroy the completeness of a set of related items; "The book dealer would not break the set"
Verb
make the opening shot that scatters the balls
Verb
separate from a clinch, in boxing; "The referee broke the boxers"
Verb
go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"
Verb
break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree"
Verb
become punctured or penetrated; "The skin broke"
Verb
pierce or penetrate; "The blade broke her skin"
Verb
be released or become known; of news; "News of her death broke in the morning"
Verb
cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station identification"; "let''s break for lunch"
Verb
interrupt the flow of current in; "break a circuit"
Verb
undergo breaking; "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages"
Verb
find a flaw in; "break an alibi"; "break down a proof"
Verb
find the solution or key to; "break the code"
Verb
change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another; "Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children"
Verb
happen; "Report the news as it develops"; "These political movements recrudesce from time to time"
Verb
become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated"
Verb
crack; of the male voice in puberty; "his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir"
Verb
fall sharply; "stock prices broke"
Verb
fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"
Verb
diminish or discontinue abruptly; "The patient''s fever broke last night"
Verb
weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death"

More Specific Terms

abatement abruption babble babble out barracking betray bewray blab blab out blackout blackwash blow blow out blunder bog bog down boob break break apart break away break down break in break off break open break short break up break with breaking off breathe buckle burn out burst bust caesura capillary fracture catch one''s breath chip chipping closed fracture come out come out of the closet comminuted fracture complete fracture compound fracture compression fracture confide conflict contravene crack cracking crash crumple crush cut off cut short cut-in damp dampen dash dead air deaden deafen delay depressed fracture disassociate disjoint dislocation displaced fracture disrupt disruption dissociate disunify disunite divorce drop the ball eclipse fast break fatigue fracture flop fly in the face of fly in the teeth of fracture fragment fragmentise fragmentize fray frazzle freeze give the axe give the bounce give the gate go down go off goof hairline fracture halftime heckling hiatus hold hold on impacted fracture implode inclined fault incomplete fracture infringe insert interjection interpellation interpolation interposition interrupt intrude ladder lapse leak leak out let the cat out of the bag letup lull malfunction misfire misfunction muckrake occultation open fracture out peach postponement punctuation puncture reduce relief reprieve respite rest rest period reveal run run afoul rupture schism secede shatter shattering sideline simple fracture sin sing sink slide down slump smash smashing snap spill the beans splinter splintering split split up spring spring break stop stress fracture strike-slip fault suspend suspension take a breather take five take ten talk tattle time lag time-out transgress trespass wait