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1. Dictionary

   Break

   /brāk/

   

   verb

   • 1. separate or cause to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain: "the branch broke with a loud snap" Similar shattersmashsmash to smithereenscracksnapfracturefragmentsplinterdisintegratefall to bitsfall to piecessplitburstblow outtearrendseverruptureseparatedivideinformal:bustrare:shiverOpposite repairmend
   • ▪ sustain an injury involving the fracture of a bone or bones in a part of the body: "she had broken her leg in two places" Similar fracturecracksmash
   • ▪ cause a cut or graze in (the skin): "the bite had scarcely broken the skin" Similar piercepuncturepenetrateperforatecutgrazemake a flesh wound in
   • ▪ make or become inoperative: "the machine has broken and they can't fix it until next week" Similar stop workingcease to work/functionbreak downgo wronggive outdevelop a faultmalfunctionbe damagedbe unusablecrashinformal:go kaputgo/be on the blinkdiegive up the ghostconk outgo phutgo haywirehave had itpack up
   • ▪ (of the amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus) be or cause to be discharged when the sac is ruptured in the first stages of labor: "she realized her water had broken"
   • ▪ open (a safe) forcibly. informal
   • ▪ use (a piece of paper currency) to pay for something and receive change out of the transaction: "she had to break a ten"
   • ▪ (of two boxers or wrestlers) come out of a clinch, especially at the referee's command: "I was acting as referee and telling them to break"
   • ▪ unfurl (a flag or sail).
   • ▪ succeed in deciphering (a code): "ciphers are easily broken by the new wonder machines" Similar decipherdecodedecryptunravelsolvework outinformal:crackfigure out
   • ▪ open (a shotgun or rifle) at the breech.
   • ▪ disprove (an alibi).
   • ▪ invalidate (a will) through legal process.
   • 2. interrupt (a sequence, course, or continuous state): "this broke the pattern of generations remaining in the place where they were born" Similar interruptdisturbinterfere with
   • ▪ put an end to (a silence) by speaking or making contact: "it was some time before he broke the silence"
   • ▪ make a pause in (a journey): British "we will break our journey in Venice"
   • ▪ stop proceedings in order to have a pause or vacation: "at mid-morning they broke for coffee" Similar stoppausetake/have a breakhave a restrecesssuspend proceedingsinformal:knock offtake/have a breathertake fiveOpposite resume
   • ▪ lessen the impact of (a fall): "she put out an arm to break her fall" Similar cushionlessen/reduce/soften the impact oftake the edge offdiminishmoderatemitigate
   • ▪ put an end to (a tie in a game) by making a score.
   • ▪ disconnect or interrupt (an electrical circuit): "a multimeter able to measure current without having to break the circuit under test"
   • ▪ stop oneself from engaging in (a habitual practice): "try to break the habit of adding salt at the table" Similar give uprelinquishdropget out ofinformal:kickshakepack inquit
   • ▪ surpass (a record): "the movie broke box-office records" Similar exceedsurpassbeatbettercaptoptrumpoutdooutstripgo beyondeclipseput in the shadeinformal:leave standing
   • 3. fail to observe (a law, regulation, or agreement): "the district attorney says she will prosecute retailers who break the law" Similar contraveneviolatefail to comply withfail to observedisobeyinfringebreachcommit a breach oftransgress againstdefyfloutfly in the face ofignoredisregardinfractOpposite keepabide by
   • ▪ fail to continue with (a self-imposed discipline): "diets started without preparation are broken all the time"
   • 4. crush the emotional strength, spirit, or resistance of: "the idea was to better the prisoners, not to break them"
   • ▪ (of a person's emotional strength) give way: "her self-control finally broke" Similar give waycollapsecrackbe overcomegive incave inyieldcrumplego to pieces
   • ▪ destroy the power of (a movement or organization): "the management are out to break the union" Similar destroycrushsmashquashdefeatvanquishovercomeoverpoweroverwhelmcripplebring someone to their kneesweakenenfeeblesapsuppresssubduecowdispiritimpairunderminedemoralizeincapacitateextinguish
   • ▪ destroy the effectiveness of (a strike), typically by bringing in other people to replace the striking workers: "the company has attempted to break the strike using non-union labor"
   • ▪ tame or train (a horse).
   • 5. (of the weather) change suddenly: "the weather broke and thunder rumbled through a leaden sky" Similar changeundergo a changealtershiftmetamorphose
   • ▪ (of a storm) begin violently: "when all were aboard, the storm broke"
   • ▪ (of dawn or day) begin with the sun rising: "dawn was just breaking" Similar dawnbeginstartcome into beingcome forthemergeappear
   • ▪ (of clouds) move apart and begin to disperse: "on the seventh of September the clouds broke for the first time"
   • ▪ (of waves) curl over and dissolve into foam: "the Caribbean sea breaking gently on the shore" Similar crashdashbeatpoundlashbatter
   • ▪ (of the voice) falter and change tone, due to emotion: "her voice broke as she relived the experience" Similar falterquaverquivertrembleshake
   • ▪ (of a boy's voice) change in tone and register at puberty: "after his voice broke, he left the choir"
   • ▪ (of a vowel) develop into a diphthong, under the influence of an adjacent sound.
   • ▪ (of prices on the stock exchange) fall sharply.
   • ▪ make the first stroke at the beginning of a game of billiards, pool, or snooker.
   • 6. (of news or a scandal) suddenly become public: "since the news broke I've received thousands of wonderful letters" Similar eruptburst outbreak out
   • ▪ make bad news known to (someone): "he was trying to break the terrible news gently to his father" Similar revealdisclosedivulgelet outannouncetellimpartmake publicmake knownreleaseproclaim
   • 7. (chiefly of an attacking player or team, or of a military force) make a rush or dash in a particular direction: "the flight broke to the right and formed a defensive circle"
   • ▪ (of a pitched baseball) curve or drop on its way toward the batter.
   • ▪ (of a bowled cricket ball) change direction on bouncing, due to spin.
   • ▪ (of a ball) rebound unpredictably: "the ball broke to Craig but his shot rebounded from the post"

   noun

   • 1. an interruption of continuity or uniformity: "the magazine has been published without a break since 1950" Similar interruptionintervalgaphiatuslapse of timelacunadiscontinuationdiscontinuancediscontinuitysuspensiondisruptioncutoffstopstoppagecessationcaesuraarchaic:surcease
   • ▪ an act of separating oneself from a state of affairs: "a break with the past"
   • ▪ a change in the weather: "a week or so may pass without a break in the weather" Similar changealterationvariation
   • ▪ a change of line, paragraph, or page: "dotted lines on the screen show page breaks"
   • ▪ a change of tone in the voice due to emotion: "there was a break in her voice now"
   • ▪ an interruption in an electrical circuit.
   • ▪ the winning of a game against an opponent's serve.
   • 2. a pause in work or during an activity or event: "I need a break from mental activity" Similar restrespiteintervalbreathing spacelullrecessstoppausetea breakcoffee breakintermissioninterludeentr'acteinformal:breatherletuptime outdowntimesmoko
   • ▪ a short vacation: "the Christmas break" Similar time offperiod of leaveholidayminibreakvacationinformal:staycationvacvacay
   • ▪ a short solo or instrumental passage in jazz or popular music.
   • 3. a gap or opening: "he stopped to wait for a break in the traffic" Similar gapopeningspaceholebreachchinkcrackfissurecleftriftchasmtearsplitslitrentrupture
   • 4. an instance of breaking something, or the point where something is broken: "a break in the valve was being repaired"
   • 5. a rush or dash in a particular direction, especially by an attacking player or team: "he made a bounce pass for a basket on the break in the second quarter"
   • ▪ a breakout, especially from prison. informal
   • ▪ a curve or drop in the path of a pitched baseball.
   • 6. an opportunity or chance, especially one leading to professional success: informal "he got his break as an entertainer on a TV music hall show" Similar opportunitystroke of luckchanceopeningfoot in the door
   • 7. a consecutive series of successful shots, scoring a specified number of points: "a break of 83 put him in front for the first time"
   • ▪ a player's turn to make the opening shot of a game or a rack: "whose break is it?"

   Word Origin Old Englishbrecan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch breken and German brechen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin frangere ‘to break’.

   Scrabble Points: 11

   • B

     3

   • R

     1

   • E

     1

   • A

     1

   • K

     5

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2. People also ask

   What does break mean?

   • Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! The meaning of BREAK is to separate into parts with suddenness or violence. How to use break in a sentence. Break and Brake: Remembering Which Is Which

   Break Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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   How do you describe a break in a sentence?

   • [intransitive, transitive] to be damaged and separated into two or more parts, as a result of force; to damage something in this way All the windows broke with the force of the blast. The bag broke under the weight of the bottles inside it. break in/into something She dropped the plate and it broke into pieces.

   break verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/break_1

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   What is the difference between break and take a break?

   • When you break something, you ruin it. When you take a break, you stop and rest. If you play catch during your lunch break, try not to break any windows. The verb break means to fracture or crack or destroy something while the noun refers to an interruption or a little time off.

   Break - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

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   What does break a code mean?

   • break a code The enemy were unable to break the code (= understand it and so make it useless). Eventually someone spoke, breaking the silence. She laughed and that broke the tension. break a strike Outside workers were brought in in an attempt to break (= end) the strike. She broke the record for the 5,000 metres.

   BREAK | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/break

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3. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › breakBreak Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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   Learn the various meanings and uses of the word break as a verb and a noun, with synonyms, examples, and related phrases. Find out how to break a plate, a promise, a record, or a wave, and more.

4. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishBREAK | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

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5. www.dictionary.com › browse › breakBREAK Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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   Break definition: to smash, split, or divide into parts violently; reduce to pieces or fragments. See examples of BREAK used in a sentence.

6. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › breakBreak - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › break

   Definitions of break. verb. destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments. “He broke the glass plate”. “She broke the match”. synonyms: come apart, fall apart, separate, split up. become separated into pieces or fragments. see more.

7. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definitionbreak verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage ...

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9. dictionary.cambridge.org › learner-english › breakBREAK | meaning - Cambridge Learner's Dictionary

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10. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishBREAK definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

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    1 day ago · Learn the various meanings and uses of the word break as a verb and a noun, with examples and synonyms. Find out how to pronounce break and how to use it in different contexts and expressions.