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break

/breɪk/

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 discharged when the sac is ruptured in the first stages of labour: "she realized her waters had broken"
- ▪ open (a safe) forcibly. informal
- ▪ use (a banknote) to pay for something and receive change out of the transaction: "she had to break a tenner"
- ▪ (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"
- ▪ make the first stroke at the beginning of a game of billiards, pool, or snooker.
- ▪ unfurl (a flag or sail).
- ▪ succeed in deciphering (a code): "ciphers are easily broken by the new wonder machines" Similar decipherdecodedecryptunravelsolvework outinformal:crackfigure out
- ▪ disprove (an alibi).
- 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"
- ▪ rest or stop proceedings for a while: "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
- ▪ disconnect or interrupt (an electric 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 film broke box office records in the US" Similar exceedsurpassbeatbettercaptoptrumpoutdooutstripgo beyondeclipseput in the shadeinformal:leave standing
- 3. fail to observe (a law, regulation, or agreement): "the council says it will prosecute traders 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 or control) 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 labour"
- ▪ tame or train (a horse).
- 5. (of the weather) change suddenly, especially after a fine spell: "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 a day) begin as the sun rises: "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 was breaking gently on the shore" Similar crashdashbeatpoundlashbatter
- ▪ (of a person's 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.
- 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: "Mitchell won possession and broke quickly, allowing Hughes to score"
- ▪ (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 timelacunadiscontinuationdiscontinuancediscontinuitysuspensiondisruptioncut-offstopstoppagecessationcaesuraarchaic:surcease
- ▪ an act of separating oneself from a pre-existing 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 a person's voice due to emotion: "there was a break in her voice now"
- ▪ an interruption in an electric 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:breatherlet-uptime outdowntimesmoko
- ▪ an interval during the school day: British "the bell went for break"
- ▪ a short holiday: "a weekend break in the Cotswolds" Similar time offperiod of leaveholidayminibreakvacationinformal:staycationvacvacay
- ▪ a short solo or instrumental passage in jazz or popular music.
- ▪ dance music featuring breakbeats.
- 3. a gap or opening: "the track bends left through a break in the hedge" Similar gapopeningspaceholebreachchinkcrackfissurecleftriftchasmtearsplitslitrentrupture
- 4. an instance of breaking something, or the point where something is broken: "he was stretchered off with a break to the leg"
- 5. a rush or dash in a particular direction, especially by an attacking player or team: "Norwich scored on a rare break with 11 minutes left"
- ▪ an escape, typically from prison. informal
- ▪ a change in the direction of a bowled ball on bouncing.
- 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: "whose break is it?"
- 8. a bud or shoot sprouting from a stem.
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
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