to break
Third Person
breaks
Present Participle
breaking
Past Tense
broke
Past Participle
broken
1
to separate something into more pieces, often in a sudden way
transitive
- Be careful not to break the glass when you wash the dishes.
- The storm's strong winds can break branches off the trees.
- The kids tend to break their toys if they play too roughly.
- He accidentally broke the pencil while sharpening it.
- She didn't mean to break the vase; it slipped from her hands.
2
to fail to obey the law
transitive
- She was caught breaking the contract by sharing confidential information.
- The company will face consequences if they break environmental regulations.
- Breaking the no-smoking rule can result in fines in public places.
- He didn't want to break the law, so he stopped at the red light.
- Breaking copyright laws can lead to legal action against content creators.
Antonyms:
3
to manage to get away from captivity
- The prisoners devised a clever plan to break out of the maximum-security prison.
- She used her strength to break loose from the kidnapper's grip.
- The hostages seized an opportunity to break away from their captors.
- The hostage plotted to break free during the chaos.
Synonyms:
4
to cause a crack and a separation in one of the bones of the body
transitive
- The skier had a bad fall and broke several ribs.
- He had broken his arm at the elbow.
- The athlete broke his leg during the soccer match.
- He had a skateboarding accident and broke his wrist.
- She fell and broke her arm while skiing.
Synonyms:
5
(of a piece of equipment) to become inoperative or unusable
- I'm sorry, but the blender has broken, and we need to get a replacement.
- I can't play my favorite video game because the console broke.
- Sorry, the printer has broken, so we can't print the documents right now.
- The computer screen suddenly broke, and I couldn't see anything.
6
to end or interrupt something, particularly a sentence, remark, or course of action
transitive
- The interruption broke his train of thought, and he lost his place in the presentation.
- The loud music next door broke my concentration while I was studying.
- The applause from the audience broke her emotional speech.
- The silence in the library was broken by a loud conversation.
Synonyms:
7
to shatter someone's mental resilience
transitive
- The constant criticism began to break her.
- The prisoner's isolation was intended to break him psychologically.
- Repeated failures can break a person.
- The trauma broke her.
- He feared the relentless pressure would break him.
8
(of a boy's voice at the age of 13 or older) to become permanently deeper
- After his voice broke, he joined the bass section of the choir.
- After a few months, his voice began to break, and he no longer sounded like a child.
- As he grew older, his voice gradually broke, and he developed a deeper tone.
- When he hit puberty, his voice started to break, and it surprised everyone.
- His voice finally broke, and he sounded more like an adult.
9
to unravel the secret or find the meaning behind something
transitive
- With their combined efforts, they were able to break the complex algorithm.
- Breaking the code required both skill and patience.
- The team of archaeologists managed to break the ancient hieroglyphs, revealing the hidden history.
- It took years to break the encryption and access the classified information.
- The detective was determined to break the mystery surrounding the stolen artifact.
10
(of news) to be released or made known to the public
- The news of the election results broke on live television.
- The scandal finally broke after months of rumors.
- The celebrity's engagement news broke on social media.
- When the announcement of the new product broke, it generated a lot of excitement among consumers.
- As soon as the details of the data breach broke, the company took immediate action to address it.
Synonyms:
11
(of wrestlers or boxers) to let go of or come out of a grappling position, particularly when asked by the referee
- It's important for wrestlers to know when to break to avoid penalties.
- The crowd cheered as the fighters finally broke.
- The boxer clinched, and the referee told them to break.
12
to cut through the surface level of the skin and cause bleeding
transitive
- His fingernails were so sharp that they could break the skin if he scratched too hard.
- The knife slipped, and it barely broke the skin on my finger.
- The thorn scratched me, but it didn't break the skin.
- The paper cut was painful, but it didn't break the skin deeply.
13
to make a set become incomplete, particularly by taking or destroying one of its parts
transitive
- The seller wouldn't break the bundle of magazines.
- She decided to break the collection into smaller groups for display.
- Please don't break the matching furniture set.
- The collector refused to break the antique tea set.
- He didn't want to break the chess set by losing a piece.
Synonyms:
14
to exchange a sum of money for the same amount but in smaller bills or coins
transitive
- I'd like to break this $20 into fives, please.
- Do you have change to break this £50 note?
- The vending machine only accepts coins; can you break this dollar?
- I need to break this €50 into smaller denominations.
- Can you break a $10 bill for me?
15
(primarily in the game of billiards, snooker, or pool) to be the first player who strikes at the beginning of a game
- To start the match, the player who breaks must aim carefully.
- In this round, I'll let you break and see how the balls scatter.
- The first player to break often has an advantage in pool.
- Who will break in the next game of snooker?
16
to rise through the surface of sea, pool, etc.
transitive
- The turtle's head broke the surface momentarily before it dived underwater again.
- When the buoyant object broke the surface, it bobbed gently on the water.
- The boat's prow broke the surface of the calm lake.
- The swimmer broke the surface after a long underwater dive.
- As the submarine ascended, it broke the surface of the ocean.
17
(of weather conditions) to experience a drastic change, particularly after a period of stability
- After days of foggy conditions, the weather broke, revealing clear blue skies.
- As the summer turned to autumn, the temperature suddenly broke, and a chill filled the air.
- After weeks of scorching heat, the weather finally broke with a refreshing rain.
18
to use force in order to open something secure such as a safe
transitive
- They tried to break the old chest but found it more challenging than they expected.
- Criminals attempted to break open the bank's safe during the heist.
- Breaking into a secure vault requires specialized tools and knowledge.
- The thieves managed to break the safe and took everything inside.
- The detective had to break the sealed compartment to gather evidence.