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Most common English words: authority « pleasant « forget « #862: break » Roman » wise »Etymology
Old English brecan. Compare Dutch breken, German brechen, Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (brikan), and French broyer. Cognate with Latin frangere (“to break”).
Pronunciation
Verb
to break (third-person singular simple present breaks, present participle breaking, simple past broke, past participle broken)
- (intransitive) To end up in two or more pieces that can't easily be reassembled.
- If the vase falls to the floor, it might break.
- (intransitive, transitive, medicine) Of a bone, to crack or fracture through a sudden physical strain, such as a collision.
- Don't slip and break your leg.
- Then his fifth metatarsal broke.
- (transitive, medicine, ergative) Of a bone, to cause to crack under physical strain.
- Don't try to break his neck.
- (Can we verify() this sense?) (transitive, medicine, ergative) Of a bone, to fracture accidentally.
- Don't break your fingers playing basketball.
- (intransitive) To stop functioning properly or altogether.
- On the hottest day of the year the fridge broke.
- (intransitive) To interrupt or cease one's work or occupation temporarily.
- Let's break for lunch.
- (intransitive, tennis) To win a game as receiver.
- He needs to break serve to win the match.
- (intransitive, billiards, snooker, pool) To make the first shot.
- Is it your or my turn to break?
- (transitive) To cause to end up in two or more pieces.
- I am going to break your mask.
- (transitive, ergative) To cause to malfunction or stop working altogether.
- Did you two break the trolley by racing with it?
- (transitive) To cause a person or animal to lose its will.
A wave breaking
- You have to break an elephant before you can use it as an animal of burden.
- America has used many forms of torture to break their POWs.
- (transitive) To do that which is forbidden by (a rule or rules).
- When you go to Vancouver, promise me you won't break the law.
- He broke his vows by cheating on his wife.
- break one's word
- (intransitive, of a water wave) To collapse into surf, after arriving in shallow water.
- (transitive, gaming slang) To design or use a powerful (yet legal) strategy that unbalances the game in a player's favor.
- Letting white have three extra queens would break chess.
- (transitive, ergative) to disclose or make known an item of news, etc.
- The newsman wanted to break a big story, something that would make him famous.
- I don't know how to break this to you, but your cat is not coming back.
- (intransitive, of a storm or spell of weather) to end
- The forecast says the hot weather will break by midweek
- (transitive) To ruin financially.
- Local economic problems broke some smaller banks.
- (transitive, US) To divide into smaller units.
- The wholesaler broke the container loads into palettes and boxes for local retailers.
- Can you break a hundred-dollar bill for me?
- (intransitive, of dawn or morning) to arrive
- Morning has broken.
- Dawn broke over the hills.
- (backgammon, transitive) To remove one of the two men on (a point).
- (transitive) To interrupt (a fall) by inserting something so that the falling object not hit something else beneath.
- (transitive) To disconnect (a connection).
- The referee ordered the boxers to break the clinch.
- The referee broke the boxers' clinch.
- I couldn't hear a thing he was saying, so I broke the connection and called him back.
- (transitive) To cause (a habit) to no longer exist.
- I've got to break this habit I have of biting my nails.
- (transitive) This word needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{}}.
- Her child's death broke her.
- (transitive) To do better than (an record), setting a new record.
- He broke the mens' 100-meter record.
- (transitive) To surpass or do better than (a specific number).
- I can't believe she broke 3 under par!
- The policeman broke sixty on a residential street in his hurry to catch the thief.
- (intransitive, of an emulsion) To demulsify.
- (intransitive, with with) To cease having a positive connection with some person or group.
- Disillusioned, he broke with the Party.
- I broke with John when he wouldn't stop making fun of my sister.
- 2001, Timothy Taylor, Stanley Park, 2003 Counterpoint paperback edition, ISBN 1582432902, page 363 [1]:
- "You see, Ferdinand Point was the first wave in a culinary revolution," Jeremy went on. "He broke with French formality; he broke with fat and weighty flavours. He kicked free of the past […] "
- (transitive) To change a steady state abruptly.
- break someone's sleep
- Huck's whooping broke the silence.
- His turning on the lights broke the enchantment.
- With the mood broken, what we had been doing seemed pretty silly.
- (intransitive) This word needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{}}.
- His voice breaks when he gets emotional.
- (intransitive, of a sound) To become audible suddenly.
- c. 1843, George Lippard, The Battle-Day of Germantown, reprinted in Washington and His Generals "1776", page 45 [2]:
- Like the crash of thunderbolts […] , the sound of musquetry broke over the lawn, […] .
- c. 1843, George Lippard, The Battle-Day of Germantown, reprinted in Washington and His Generals "1776", page 45 [2]:
- (transitive) To cause (a barrier) to no longer bar.
- break a seal
- (transitive) To break the shell of (an egg) (cause it to no longer bar), allowing access to the inside.
- (transitive) To open (a safe), especially without using the correct key, combination, or the like.
Quotations
For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.
Usage notes
The sense relating to a spell of weather is most likely to be used after a period of persistent good or bad weather; it is rarely used to signify the end of changeable conditions.
Synonyms
- (intransitive: end up in two or more pieces): burst, bust, shatter, shear, smash, split
- (intransitive: of a bone): crack, fracture
- (transitive: of a bone, intentionally): crack, fracture
- (transitive: of a bone, accidentally): crack, fracture
- (intransitive: stop functioning): break down, bust, fail, go down (of a computer or computer network)
- (intransitive: interrupt): interrupt, pause
- (transitive: cause to end up in two or more pieces): shatter, smash
- (transitive: cause to malfunction or stop working altogether): bust
- (transitive: cause a person or animal to lose his/her/its will): subject, tame
- (transitive: do that which is forbidden by): contravene, go against, violate
Antonyms
- (intransitive: interrupt): carry on, continue, go on, restart, resume
- (transitive: cause to end up in two or more pieces): assemble, fix, join, mend, put together, repair
- (intransitive, tennis: break serve) hold
Derived terms
Terms derived from break (verb)
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See also
Noun
break (plural breaks)
- An instance of breaking something into two pieces.
- The femur has a clean break and so should heal easily.
- A physical space that opens up in something or between two things.
- The sun came out in a break in the clouds.
- A rest or pause, usually from work; a breaktime.
- Let’s take a five-minute break.
- An abrupt change in the normal flow of a process.
- He waited minutes for a break in the traffic to cross the highway.
- An act of escaping.
- make a break for it
- make a break for the door
- It was a clean break.
- prison break
- (by ellipsis) A lucky break.
- (tennis) A game won by the receiving player(s).
- (billiards, snooker, pool) The first shot in a game of billiards
- (snooker) The number of points scored by one player in one visit to the table
- (surfing) Place where waves break (ie. pitch or spill forward creating white water).
- The final break in the Greenmount area is Kirra Point.
- (music) A short section of music, often between verses, in which some performers stop while others continue.
- The fiddle break was amazing, it was a pity the singer came back in on the wrong note.
- (UK, weather) a change; the end of a spell of persistent good or bad weather
- The beginning (of the morning).
- at dawn's break
- at the break of day
Usage notes
- (music): The instruments that are named are the ones that carry on playing, for example a fiddle break implies that the fiddle is the most prominent instrument playing during the break.
Synonyms
- (instance of breaking something into two pieces): split
- (physical space that opens up in something or between two things): breach, gap, space
- (rest or pause, usually from work): time out
Derived terms
Terms derived from break (noun)
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Translations
instance of breaking something into two pieces
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Anagrams
French
Pronunciation
- IPA: /bʁɛk/
Etymology 1
From English break.
Noun
break m. (plural breaks)
- break (pause, holiday)
- C’est l’heure de faire un break.
Synonyms
Etymology 2
English shooting brake
Noun
break m. and f. (plural breaks)
Italian
Etymology
English
Noun
break m. inv.
- break (intermission or brief suspension of activity)
Interjection
break!
- break! (boxing)
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Tue, 06 Jul 2010 04:11:00 GMT+00:00
The Associated Press Ronnie Belliard scored another run in the third on a delayed break for home plate after catcher Ronny Paulino made a low throw to second base on a steal by ... Florida puts an end to Dodgers' hot streak Los Angeles Times
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posts and whatnot As far as giving the nod to Oklahoma I can t do it Just on females alone there s no way I take an Okie from Muskogee over a chic from South Beach Florida Oklahoma
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Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:07:57 GM
Farm . Break. version 1.0.0. Farm . Break. . Prix: 0.79 Derniere MaJ: 26/07/2010. Genres: Games / Entertainment / Kids / Family Langues: EN Version du Firmware: Tous Version de l'App: 1.0.0. Taille: 17.55Mo ...
What break up stories can you share where it made you happier in the end?
Q. Kind of similar to my last question, but a little different... What break up stories do you have that can support the idea that a hard break up can actually be a very good opportunity for someone to find someone/something better? I know I will heal over time and I know that there has to be someone out there for me, but it would be really encouraging to hear some good stories about people finding love after being crushed! Thanks everyone!
Asked by dazz - Wed Feb 25 16:33:09 2009 - - 10 Answers - 0 Comments
A. Im sorry someone broke your heart :( The good news is it does get better. But it is also up to you to let yourself grieve for what you lost, but then get back into the swing of things and not let it break you! My last break up was baaad. We were living together, very lovey dovey and literally out of the blue, one day he comes home and says he doesn t think things are going to work out. Huge blow, didn t see it coming at all. Just that afternoon he sent me a text telling me he loves me and cant wait to see me. Long story, so I wont get into the in depth details. But we talked that night and we seemed to come the the conclusion that we would see how it goes. Then the next morning he doesn t come to work (we worked for the same company)… [cont.]
Answered by Epona S - Wed Feb 25 16:53:29 2009
Q. Kind of similar to my last question, but a little different... What break up stories do you have that can support the idea that a hard break up can actually be a very good opportunity for someone to find someone/something better? I know I will heal over time and I know that there has to be someone out there for me, but it would be really encouraging to hear some good stories about people finding love after being crushed! Thanks everyone!
Asked by dazz - Wed Feb 25 16:33:09 2009 - - 10 Answers - 0 Comments
A. Im sorry someone broke your heart :( The good news is it does get better. But it is also up to you to let yourself grieve for what you lost, but then get back into the swing of things and not let it break you! My last break up was baaad. We were living together, very lovey dovey and literally out of the blue, one day he comes home and says he doesn t think things are going to work out. Huge blow, didn t see it coming at all. Just that afternoon he sent me a text telling me he loves me and cant wait to see me. Long story, so I wont get into the in depth details. But we talked that night and we seemed to come the the conclusion that we would see how it goes. Then the next morning he doesn t come to work (we worked for the same company)… [cont.]
Answered by Epona S - Wed Feb 25 16:53:29 2009
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