History of the word break - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

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English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

enPR: brāk, IPA^(key): /bɹeɪk/, [bɹʷeɪ̯k]
(obsolete) enPR: brīk, IPA^(key): /bɹiːk/^[1]
Audio (southern England) (file)
Rhymes: -eɪk
Homophone: brake

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English breken, from Old English brecan (“to break”), from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”). The word is a doublet of bray.

Cognates

Cognates of Germanic origin include Scots brek (“to break”), West Frisian brekke (“to break”), Dutch breken (“to break”), Low German breken (“to break”), German brechen (“to break”), French broyer (“to crush, grind”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (brikan, “to break, destroy”), Norwegian brek (“desire, yearning”).

Also cognate with Albanian brishtë (“fragile”), Latin frangō (“break, break up, shatter”, verb), whence English fracture and other terms – fragile, frail, fraction, and fragment.

Verb[edit]

break (third-person singular simple present breaks, present participle breaking, simple past broke or (archaic) brake, past participle broken or (nonstandard) broke)

(transitive, intransitive) To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.

If the vase falls to the floor, it might break.

In order to tend to the accident victim, he will break the window of the car.
- 2012 May 8, Yotam Ottolenghi; Sami Tamimi, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook‎^[2], Random House, →ISBN, page 79:
  
  First, marinate the tofu. In a bowl, whisk the kecap manis, chilli sauce, and sesame oil together. Cut the tofu into strips about 1cm thick, mix gently (so it doesn’t break) with the marinade and leave in the fridge for half an hour.
1. (transitive, intransitive) To crack or fracture (bone) under a physical strain.
  
  His ribs broke under the weight of the rocks piled on his chest.
  
  She broke her neck.
  
  He slipped on the ice and broke his leg.
(transitive) To divide (something, often money) into smaller units.

Can you break a hundred-dollar bill for me?

The wholesaler broke the container loads into palettes and boxes for local retailers.
(transitive) To cause (a person or animal) to lose spirit or will; to crush the spirits of.

Her child’s death broke Angela.

Interrogators have used many forms of torture to break prisoners of war.

The interrogator hoped to break her to get her testimony against her accomplices.
- 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare; [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
  
  An old man, broken with the storms of state,
  Is come to lay his weary bones among ye;
  Give him a little earth for charity
1. To turn an animal into a beast of burden.
  - 2002, John Fusco, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
    
    Colonel: See, gentlemen? Any horse could be broken.
  You have to break an elephant before you can use it as an animal of burden.
(intransitive) To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief.

My heart is breaking.
(transitive) To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate.

I’ve got to break this habit I have of biting my nails.

to break silence; to break one’s sleep; to break one’s journey

I had won four games in a row, but now you’ve broken my streak of luck.
- 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
  
  Go, release them, Ariel; / My charms I’ll break, their senses I’ll restore.
1. (transitive, theater) To end the run of (a play).
  - 1958, Walter Macqueen-Pope, St. James’s: Theatre of Distinction (page 134)
    
    In July Alexander broke the run and went on tour, as was his custom. He believed in keeping in touch with provincial audiences and how wise he was!
  - 1986, Kurt Gänzl, The British Musical Theatre: 1865-1914 (page 610)
    
    After Camberwell he broke the play’s season and brought it back in the autumn with a few revisions and a noticeably strengthened cast but without any special success.
(transitive) To ruin financially.

The recession broke some small businesses.
(intransitive, obsolete) To fail in business; to go broke, to become bankrupt.
- 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Riches”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
  
  He that puts all upon adventures doth oftentimes break, and come to poverty.
- 1791-92, Jane Austen, ‘A Collection of Letters’, Juvenilia:
  
  ‘I knew he was in some such low way—He broke did not he?’
(finance, intransitive) Of prices on the stock exchange: to fall suddenly.
- 2008, George Angell, Small Stocks for Big Profits
  
  With a few exceptions, stock prices tend to follow the overall market averages. When you have a market decline, therefore, many stocks share the same overall chart pattern. Prices break and go sideways for a period of time.
(transitive) To violate; to fail to adhere to.

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

Time travel would break the laws of physics.
- 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […]”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J. M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, lines 749–751, page 48:
  
  Out, out Hyæna; theſe are thy wonted arts, […] To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray,
(intransitive, of a fever) To go down, in terms of temperature, indicating that the most dangerous part of the illness has passed.

Susan’s fever broke at about 3 AM, and the doctor said the worst was over.
(intransitive, of a spell of settled weather) To end.

The forecast says the hot weather will break by midweek.
(intransitive, of a storm) To begin or end.

We ran to find shelter before the storm broke.

Around midday the storm broke, and the afternoon was calm and sunny.
(intransitive, of morning, dawn, day etc.) To arrive.

Morning has broken.

The day broke crisp and clear.
- 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
  
  The day begins to break, and night is fled.
(transitive, gaming slang) To render (a game) unchallenging by altering its rules or exploiting loopholes or weaknesses in them in a way that gives a player an unfair advantage.

Changing the rules to let white have three extra queens would break chess.

I broke the RPG by training every member of my party to cast fireballs as well as use swords.
(transitive, intransitive) To stop, or to cause to stop, functioning properly or altogether.

On the hottest day of the year the refrigerator broke.

Did you two break the trolley by racing with it?
1. (specifically, in programming) To cause (some feature of a program or piece of software) to stop functioning properly; to cause a regression.
  
  Adding 64-bit support broke backward compatibility with earlier versions.
(transitive) To cause (a barrier) to no longer bar.

break a seal
1. (specifically) To cause the shell of (an egg) to crack, so that the inside (yolk) is accessible.
2. (specifically) To open (a safe) without using the correct key, combination, or the like.
(transitive) To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce.

The cavalry were not able to break the British squares.
(intransitive, of a wave of water) To collapse into surf, after arriving in shallow water.
A wave breaking.
(intransitive) To burst forth; to make its way; to come into view.
- 1800, William Wordsworth, The Fountain
  
  And from the turf a fountain broke, / And gurgled at our feet.
(intransitive) To interrupt or cease one’s work or occupation temporarily; to go on break.

Let’s break for lunch.
(transitive) To interrupt (a fall) by inserting something so that the falling object does not (immediately) hit something else beneath.

He survived the jump out the window because the bushes below broke his fall.
(transitive, ergative) To disclose or make known an item of news, a band, 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.

When news of their divorce broke, …
- 2010, Jon Kutner, Spencer Leigh, 1,000 UK Number One Hits
  
  Herman’s Hermits version of ‘I’m Into Something Good’ topped the UK charts and also broke the band in the States.
(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 [3]:
  
  Like the crash of thunderbolts[…], the sound of musquetry broke over the lawn, […].
(transitive) To change a steady state abruptly.

His coughing broke the silence.

His turning on the lights broke the enchantment.

With the mood broken, what we had been doing seemed pretty silly.
(transitive, with for) To (attempt to) disengage and flee to; to make a run for.
- 2018 October 17, Drachinifel, Last Ride of the High Seas Fleet — Battle of Texel 1918‎^[4], archived from the original on 4 August 2022, 26:02 from the start:
  
  As the last firing of the big guns begins to die down, the German light forces still fighting to the west begin to make their choices. Some break for the open sea; others run for the German-occupied coast; still others stand and die. A small group decide to strike their colors, in imitation of three of the larger German ships.
(copulative, informal) To suddenly become.

Things began breaking bad for him when his parents died.

The arrest was standard, when suddenly the suspect broke ugly.
(intransitive, of a male voice) To become deeper at puberty.
(intransitive, of a voice) To alter in type due to emotion or strain: in men, generally to go up, in women, sometimes to go down; to crack.

His voice breaks when he gets emotional.
(transitive) To surpass or do better than (a specific number); to do better than (a record), setting a new record.

He broke the men’s 100-meter record.

I can’t believe she broke 3 under par!

The policeman broke sixty on a residential street in his hurry to catch the thief.
(sports and games):
1. (transitive, tennis) To win a game (against one’s opponent) as receiver.
  
  He needs to break serve to win the match.
  - 2012 June 28, Jamie Jackson, “Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal”, in the Guardian‎^[5]:
    
    Yet when play restarted the Czech was a train that kept on running over Nadal. After breaking Nadal in the opening game of the final set, he went 2-0 up and later took the count to 4-2 with yet another emphatic ace – one of his 22 throughout.
2. (intransitive, billiards, snooker, pool) To make the first shot; to scatter the balls from the initial neat arrangement.
  
  Is it your or my turn to break?
3. (transitive, backgammon) To remove one of the two men on (a point).
(transitive, military, most often in the passive tense) To demote; to reduce the military rank of.
- 1926, T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, New York: Anchor (1991), p. 167:
  
  Sir Reginald Wingate, High Commissioner in Egypt, was happy for the success of the work he had advocated for years. I grudged him this happiness; for McMahon, who took the actual risk of starting it, had been broken just before prosperity began.
- 1953 February 9, “Books: First Rulers of Asia”, in Time:
  
  And he played no favorites: when his son-in-law sacked a city he had been told to spare, Genghis broke him to private.
- 2006, Peter Collier, Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty, Second Edition, Artisan Books, →ISBN, page 42:
  
  Not long after this event, Clausen became involved in another disciplinary situation and was broken to private—the only one to win the Medal of Honor in Vietnam.
(transitive) To end (a connection); to disconnect.

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.
(intransitive, of an emulsion) To demulsify.
- 2004, J. L. Atwood, Jonathan W. Steed, Encyclopedia of supramolecular chemistry‎^[6], volume 2, page 1466:
  
  Conversely, as the emulsion breaks and the system returns to the original state, energy is released.
- 2006, Johan Sjöblom, Emulsions and emulsion stability‎^[7], volume 22, page 400:
  
  When the droplets hit a solid wall the emulsion breaks instantly forming a bitumen on the wall and thus a layer up to 1 cm thick can be sprayed in one operation without requiring drying in between.
(intransitive, sports) To counter-attack.
- 2010 December 28, Kevin Darlin, “West Brom 1 — 3 Blackburn”, in BBC‎^[8]:
  
  The Baggies almost hit back instantly when Graham Dorrans broke from midfield and pulled the trigger from 15 yards but Paul Robinson did superbly to tip the Scot’s drive around the post.
(transitive, obsolete) To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate.
- 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
  
  Katharine, break thy mind to me.
(intransitive) To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength.
- 1731, Jonathan Swift, Verses on His Own Death
  
  See how the dean begins to break; / Poor gentleman he droops apace.
(transitive) To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of.

to break flax
(transitive) To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss.
- January 11, 1711, Jonathan Swift, The Examiner No. 24
  
  when I see a great officer broke.
(intransitive) To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change gait.

to break into a run or gallop
(intransitive, archaic) To fall out; to terminate friendship.
- c. 1700 Jeremy Collier, On Friendship
  
  To break upon the score of danger or expense is to be mean and narrow-spirited.
(computing) To terminate the execution of a program before normal completion.
(programming) To suspend the execution of a program during debugging so that the state of the program can be investigated.
(computing) To cause, or allow the occurrence of, a line break.

zero-width non-breaking space

Conjugation[edit]

Quotations[edit]

For quotations using this term, see Citations:break.

Synonyms[edit]

(ergative: separate into two or more pieces): burst, bust, shatter, shear, smash, split, bisect
(ergative: crack (bone)): crack, fracture
(transitive: turn an animal into a beast of burden): break in, subject, tame
(transitive: do that which is forbidden by): contravene, go against, violate
(intransitive: stop functioning): break down, bust, fail, go down (of a computer or computer network)

Antonyms[edit]

(transitive: cause to end up in two or more pieces): assemble, fix, join, mend, put together, repair
(tennis, intransitive: break serve): hold

Hyponyms[edit]

break a leg
break a sweat
break apart
break away
break bad
break bread
break down
break even
break ground
break in
break into
break loose
break new ground
break off
break one’s fast
break open
break out
break rank
break someone’s heart
break stride
break the ice
break through
break up
break wind
horsebreaking
unbreak

Derived terms[edit]

a stick in a bundle cannot be broken
a stick in a bundle can’t be broken
a twig in a bundle cannot be broken
a twig in a bundle can’t be broken
back-breaking
bebreak
break a butterfly on a wheel
break a butterfly on the wheel
break a butterfly upon a wheel
break a butterfly upon the wheel
break a fly on a wheel
break a fly on the wheel
break a fly upon a wheel
break a fly upon the wheel
break a lance
break and enter
break ass
break back
break bulk
break camp
break character
break cover
break edge
break free
break gates
break into a run
break it
break it down
break it to
break luck
break no squares
break on the wheel
break one off
break one’s arm patting oneself on the back
break one’s back
break one’s balls
break one’s duck
break one’s fall
break one’s lance
break one’s maiden
break one’s neck
break one’s promise
break one’s stride
break one’s word
break ranks
break rigor
break sheer
break shins
break silence
break someone’s back
break someone’s balls
break squelch
break the back of
break the bank
break the buck
break the cycle
break the deadlock
break the fourth wall
break the internet
break the Internet
break the mold
break the mould
break the news
break the Sabbath
break the seal
break the silence
break the story
break upon the wheel
break water
break wedlock
break with
break-ax
break-bones
break-even
break-in
break-off
break-promise
break-up
break-upper
break-vow
break-wind
breakage
breakdance
breakdown
breakee
breaker
breaking ball
breaking capacity
breaking change
breaking news
breaking point
breaking strain
breaking strain
breaking wheel
breakle
breakneck
breakout
breakthrough
buck breaking
forbreak
gamebreaking
ground-breaking
heart-breaking
hedge-breaking
horsebreaking
icebreaker
inbreak
make or break
make-and-break
make-before-break
make-or-break
mold-breaking
mould-breaking
my condom broke
non-breaking
one cannot break a stick in a bundle
one cannot break a twig in a bundle
one cannot break sticks in a bundle
one can’t break a stick in a bundle
one can’t break a twig in a bundle
one can’t break sticks in a bundle
outbreak
overbreak
rules are made to be broken
Sabbath-breaking
sticks and stones may break my bones
sticks in a bundle cannot be broken
sticks in a bundle can’t be broken
strike-break
the straw that broke the camel’s back
upbreak
you cannot break a stick in a bundle
you cannot break a twig in a bundle
you cannot break sticks in a bundle
you can’t break a stick in a bundle
you can’t break a twig in a bundle
you can’t break sticks in a bundle
you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs

Translations[edit]

intransitive: to separate into (to end up in) two or more pieces

Afrikaans: breek (af)
Albanian: thyej (sq)
Arabic: اِنْكَسَرَ‎ (inkasara)
Armenian: ջարդվել (hy) (ǰardvel), կոտրվել (hy) (kotrvel)
Aromanian: arup, frãngu, aspargu
Assamese:

Central: ভাঙা (bhaṅa)

Eastern: ভঙা (bhoṅa)
Azerbaijani: sınmaq, qırılmaq (az)
Bakhtiari: اشکندن‎ (eškanden)
Basque: puskatu (eu), hautsi, apurtu
Belarusian: (into two pieces) лама́цца impf (lamácca), злама́цца pf (zlamácca); (into more than two pieces) разбіва́цца impf (razbivácca), разбі́цца pf (razbícca)
Bulgarian: чу́пя се (bg) (čúpja se)
Catalan: trencar-se (ca), rompre’s (ca)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 打破 (zh) (dǎpò)
Cornish: krackya
Czech: rozbít (cs) se, zlomit (cs) se
Danish: gå i stykker, gå itu
Dutch: breken (nl)
Esperanto: rompi (eo), rompiĝi
Finnish: särkyä (fi), mennä rikki (fi), hajota (fi), murtua (fi)
French: se rompre (fr), se casser (fr), se briser (fr)
Galician: romper (gl)
Georgian: ტყდომა (ṭq̇doma), მტვრევა (mṭvreva)
German: zerbrechen (de), kaputtgehen (de), brechen (de)

Old High German: brehhan
Greek: σπάω (el) (spáo)

Ancient: ῥήγνυμαι (rhḗgnumai)
Hebrew: נשבר‎ (nishbár)
Hindi: please add this translation if you can
Hungarian: törik (hu), eltörik, összetörik (hu), szakad (hu), elszakad (hu)
Icelandic: brotna
Ido: ruptar (io)
Indonesian: patah (id)
Irish: bris
Italian: rompersi (it), spezzarsi (it)
Jamaican Creole: mash up
Japanese: 割れる (ja) (われる, wareru), 散らばる (ちらばる, chirabaru)
Kazakh: сындыру (kk) (syndyru), сыну (synu)
Khmer: បាក់ (km) (bak), បែក (km) (baek)
Korean: 부러지다 (ko) (bureojida)
Kyrgyz: сындыруу (ky) (sındıruu), сынуу (sınuu)
Latgalian: lyuzt
Latin: cōnfringō, frangō (la), rumpō, frangere (la)
Latvian: salūzt, lūzt
Lithuanian: sulaužyti
Low German: breken (nds)

German Low German: briäken (nds) (Münsterland)
Macedonian: ломи (lomi)
Maltese: nkiser
Maore Comorian: ufusiha, upasuha
Middle Dutch: breken
Middle English: breken, chynen
Mongolian: хагарах (mn) (xagarax)
Ngazidja Comorian: uvundziha
North Frisian:

Föhr-Amrum: breeg

Helgoland and Sylt: breek

Mooring and Hallig: breege
Old English: brecan
Old Frisian: breka
Old Saxon: brekan
Oriya: ଭାଙ୍ଗିବା (or) (bhaṅgiba)
Persian: خرد کردن‎ (fa) (xord kardan), شکستن‎ (fa) (šekastan)
Polish: (two pieces) łamać się (pl) impf, złamać się (pl) pf, rozbić się (pl), (more pieces) połamać się
Portuguese: quebrar (pt), partir (pt), (if flexible material) romper (pt)
Quechua: p’akiy
Romanian: (se) ^{(please verify)} a (ro) frânge, (se) ^{(please verify)} a (ro) rupe, ^{(please verify)} sparge (ro)
Russian: (into two pieces) лома́ться (ru) impf (lomátʹsja), слома́ться (ru) pf (slomátʹsja); (into more than two pieces) разбива́ться (ru) impf (razbivátʹsja), разби́ться (ru) pf (razbítʹsja)
Scottish Gaelic: bris
Slovak: rozbiť sa, zlomiť sa
Slovene: (two pieces) zlomiti se, (more pieces) razbiti se
Spanish: romperse (es)
Sundanese: pites
Swedish: gå sönder (sv)
Tagalog: mabasag
Telugu: విరుచు (te) (virucu), విరగగొట్టు (viragagoṭṭu)
Thai: แตก (th) (dtɛ̀ɛk), พัง (th) (pang), หัก (th) (hàk)
Tok Pisin: bruk
Turkish: kırılmak (tr), kırmak (tr)
Vietnamese: bị bể
West Frisian: brekke
Yiddish: צעברעכן‎ (tsebrekhn)

transitive: to separate into (to cause to end up in) two or more pieces

Albanian: thyen
Amharic: ሰበረ (säbärä)
Arabic: كَسَرَ‎ (ar) (kasara)

Egyptian Arabic: كسر‎ (kasar)
Argobba: ሰበራ (sabarā)
Armenian: ջարդել (hy) (ǰardel), կոտրել (hy) (kotrel)
Aromanian: arup, frãngu, crep
Assamese:

Central: ভাঙা (bhaṅa)

Eastern: ভঙা (bhoṅa)
Azerbaijani: qırmaq (az), sındırmaq (az)
Basque: puskatu (eu)
Belarusian: (into two pieces) лама́ць impf (lamácʹ), злама́ць pf (zlamácʹ); (into more than two pieces) разбіва́ць impf (razbivácʹ), разбі́ць (razbícʹ)
Bulgarian: чу́пя (bg) (čúpja)
Catalan: trencar (ca), rompre (ca)
Cherokee: (long object) ᎠᏍᏆᎵᏍᎦ (asqualisga), (flexible object) ᎠᎦᎳᏍᎦ (agalasga)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 打破 (zh) (dǎpò)
Cornish: krackya
Czech: rozbít (cs), zlomit (cs)
Danish: sønderslå, ødelægge (da), smadre (da), knuse (da)
Dutch: breken (nl)
Egyptian: (sḏ)
Esperanto: rompi (eo)
Extremaduran: rompel, brital
Finnish: murtaa (fi), rikkoa (fi), särkeä (fi), taittaa (fi), hajottaa (fi), pirstoa
French: rompre (fr), casser (fr), briser (fr)
Friulian: rompi, crevâ, franzi, frangi
Galician: crebar (gl), quebrar (gl)
Ge’ez: ሰበረ (säbärä)
Georgian: ტყდომა (ṭq̇doma), მსხვრევა (msxvreva)
German: brechen (de), zerbrechen (de)
Gothic: 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (brikan)
Greek:

Ancient: ῥήγνυμι (rhḗgnumi)
Guaraní: joka
Hebrew: שבר‎ (he) (shavár)
Hindi: टूटना (hi) (ṭūṭnā)
Hungarian: tör (hu), eltör (hu), összetör (hu), szakít (hu), elszakít (hu)
Indonesian: mematahkan (id), memutuskan (id)
Irish: bris
Italian: rompere (it), spezzare (it)
Japanese: 割る (ja) (わる, waru), 壊す (ja) (こわす, kowasu), 砕く (ja) (くだく, kudaku)
Javanese: nugel (jv)
Kazakh: сындыру (kk) (syndyru)
Khmer: បែក (km) (baek)
Korean: 깨트리다 (ko) (kkaeteurida), 부러뜨리다 (ko) (bureotteurida), 부수다 (ko) (busuda)
Kurdish:

Central Kurdish: شکاندن‎ (ckb) (şkandin)
Kyrgyz: сындыруу (ky) (sındıruu)
Latgalian: salauzt, salauzeit
Latin: cōnfringō, frangō (la), rumpō
Latvian: salauzt, lauzt
Lithuanian: sulaužyti
Lombard: romp (lmo)
Macedonian: кр́ши impf (kŕši)
Maltese: kiser
Mongolian: хагалах (mn) (xagalax)
Neapolitan: rompe
Ngazidja Comorian: uvundza, huungua, upasua
Norman: rompre (Jersey)
Occitan: fragar, esberlar (oc), quebrar, trencar (oc)
Old English: ofbrecan
Old Javanese: tugĕl
Ossetian: сӕттын (sættyn)
Persian: شکستن‎ (fa) (šekastan)
Polabian: lümĕt impf, vėzlümĕt pf
Polish: łamać (pl) impf, złamać (pl) pf, rozbijać (pl)
Portuguese: quebrar (pt), partir (pt), (if flexible) romper (pt)
Quechua: llik’iy, pakii
Romanian: rupe (ro), frânge (ro), sfărâma (ro), crăpa (ro)
Romansch: rumper, romper
Russian: разбива́ть (ru) impf (razbivátʹ), разби́ть (ru) pf (razbítʹ), лома́ть (ru) impf (lomátʹ), слома́ть (ru) pf (slomátʹ)
Sanskrit: भनक्ति (bhanakti)
Scottish Gaelic: bris
Serbo-Croatian: lomiti (sh), ломити
Sinhalese: කඩනවා (kaḍanawā)
Slovak: rozbiť, zlomiť
Slovene: (two pieces) zlomiti (sl), (more pieces) razbiti
Somali: jabid
Sorbian:

Upper Sorbian: łamać impf, złamać pf
Spanish: romper (es), quebrar (es)
Sundanese: mites
Swedish: bryta (sv), ta isär, ha isär, slå sönder (sv)
Tagalog: basagin
Tajik: шикастан (tg) (šikastan)
Tatar: сындырырга (sındırırga)
Thai: หัก (th) (hàk)
Tok Pisin: brukim
Turkish: kırmak (tr)
Turkmen: gyrmak, dövmek
Ugaritic: 𐎘𐎁𐎗 (ṯbr)
Ukrainian: розбива́ти impf (rozbyváty), розби́ти (rozbýty), лама́ти impf (lamáty), злама́ти (zlamáty)
Urdu: ٹوٹنا‎ (ur) (ṭūṭnā)
Uzbek: sindirmoq (uz), buzmoq (uz)
Vietnamese: làm bể
Yiddish: צעברעכן‎ (tsebrekhn)

intransitive, of a bone: to crack

Albanian: thyej (sq)
Armenian: ջարդվել (hy) (ǰardvel), կոտրվել (hy) (kotrvel)
Azerbaijani: sınmaq
Bulgarian: чупя се (bg) (čupja se)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 折 (zh) (zhé), 骨折 (zh) (gǔzhé)
Czech: zlomit si
Danish: brække (da)
Dutch: breken (nl)
Esperanto: panei
Finnish: murtua (fi)
French: se casser (fr), se fracturer (fr)
German: brechen (de)
Hebrew: נשבר‎ (nishbár)
Hungarian: eltörik
Icelandic: brotna
Irish: bris
Italian: rompere (it), fratturare (it)
Japanese: ひびが入る (ひびがはいる, hibi ga hairu), 折れる (ja) (おれる, oreru)
Korean: 부러지다 (ko) (bureojida)
Latvian: salūzt, lūzt
Maori: whati
Polish: złamać się (pl)
Portuguese: quebrar (pt), partir (pt)
Romanian: (se) ^{(please verify)} a (ro) frânge
Russian: лома́ться (ru) impf (lomátʹsja), слома́ться (ru) pf (slomátʹsja)
Scottish Gaelic: bris
Serbo-Croatian: slomiti (sh)
Slovak: zlomiť sa
Slovene: zlomiti se
Spanish: romper (es), quebrar (es)
Swedish: brytas (sv)
Tagalog: mabali
Thai: หัก (th) (hàk), ร้าว (th) (ráao)
Tok Pisin: bruk

transitive: to cause (a bone) to crack

Armenian: ջարդել (hy) (ǰardel), կոտրել (hy) (kotrel)
Azerbaijani: sındırmaq (az)
Bulgarian: чу́пя (bg) (čúpja)
Danish: brække (da)
Dutch: breken (nl)
Finnish: murtaa (fi), murskata (fi), katkaista (fi)
French: casser (fr), fracturer (fr)
Galician: crebar (gl), quebrar (gl)
German: brechen (de)
Hebrew: שבר‎ (he) (shavár)
Hungarian: eltör (hu)
Icelandic: brjóta (is)
Irish: bris
Italian: fratturare (it)
Japanese: ひびが入る (ひびがはいる, hibi ga hairu), 折れる (ja) (おれる, oreru)
Korean: 부러뜨리다 (ko) (bureotteurida)
Latvian: salauzt, lauzt
Polish: złamać (pl)
Portuguese: quebrar (pt), partir (pt)
Romanian: frânge (ro)
Russian: лома́ть (ru) impf (lomátʹ), слома́ть (ru) pf (slomátʹ)
Scottish Gaelic: bris
Slovak: zlomiť
Slovene: zlomiti (sl)
Spanish: romper (es)
Swedish: bryta (sv)
Tagalog: baliin
Thai: หัก (th) (hàk)
Tok Pisin: brukim

to divide (money) into smaller units

Azerbaijani: xırdalamaq (az)
Bulgarian: разбивам (bg) (razbivam)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 破 (zh) (pò)
Danish: veksle, dele
Dutch: verdelen (nl) n
Finnish: jakaa (fi), särkeä (fi), rikkoa (fi) (of money)
French: diviser (fr)
German: kleinmachen (coll.)
Hungarian: vált (hu), felvált (hu)
Italian: suddividere (it), cambiare (it), scambiare (it)
Kazakh: уақтау (uaqtau)
Persian: خرد کردن‎ (fa) (xord kardan)
Polish: rozmieniać impf, rozmienić (pl) pf
Portuguese: trocar (pt)
Russian: разменять (ru) (razmenjatʹ)
Slovak: rozdeliť, rozmeniť
Tagalog: hatiin
Thai: แตก (th) (dtɛ̀ɛk)
Tok Pisin: brukim
Turkish: bozmak (tr)

to cause a person to lose spirit or will

to turn an animal into a beast of burden

to cause a habit to no longer exist

transitive: to do that which is forbidden by (something)

Armenian: խախտել (hy) (xaxtel)
Azerbaijani: pozmaq
Bulgarian: нарушавам (bg) (narušavam)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 破戒 (zh) (pòjiè), 犯戒 (zh) (fànjiè)
Czech: porušit
Danish: bryde (da), krænke (violate)
Dutch: breken (nl), overtreden (nl)
Finnish: rikkoa (fi)
French: outrepasser (fr)
German: brechen (de)
Hebrew: הפר‎ (he) (hefér)
Hungarian: megszeg (hu), szeg (hu), megsért (hu), sért (hu)
Icelandic: brjóta (is)
Italian: oltrepassare (it), sfondare (it), superare (it)
Japanese: 破る (ja) (やぶる, yaburu), 犯す (ja) (おかす, okasu)
Korean: 깨다 (ko) (kkaeda)
Latvian: pārkāpt
Maori: pekehāwani (refers to a truce or an agreement), takahi (rules, the law, customs etc)
Mongolian: зөрчих (mn) (zörčix)
Persian: شکستن‎ (fa) (šekastan)
Portuguese: desrespeitar (pt), violar (pt)
Russian: наруша́ть (ru) impf (narušátʹ), нару́шить (ru) pf (narúšitʹ)
Scottish Gaelic: bris
Slovak: porušiť
Slovene: prekršiti
Swedish: bryta (sv)
Telugu: ^{(please verify)} అతిక్రమించు (te) (atikramiñcu), ^{(please verify)} మీరు (హద్దుమీరు) (te) (mīru (haddumīru))
Thai: ละเมิด (th) (lá-mə̂ət), ฝ่าฝืน (th) (fàa-fʉ̌ʉn)
Tok Pisin: brukim
Ukrainian: пору́шувати (porúšuvaty)

gaming: to design or make a powerful, unbalancing but legal move

intransitive: to stop functioning properly or altogether

Armenian: փչանալ (hy) (pʿčʿanal)
Azerbaijani: sınmaq, xarab olmaq
Bulgarian: развалям се (bg) (razvaljam se)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 壞／坏 (zh) (huài)
Czech: rozbít se, polámat se, přestat fungovat, pokazit se
Danish: bryde sammen, gå i stykker, gå itu
Dutch: stukgaan (nl), kapotgaan (nl)
Finnish: hajota (fi), mennä rikki (fi), (colloquial) tiltata (fi)
French: se casser (fr), tomber en panne (fr)
German: kaputtgehen (de)
Greek: χαλάω (el) (chaláo)
Hebrew: התקלקל‎ (hitkalkél)
Hungarian: elromlik (hu), tönkremegy (hu)
Icelandic: brjóta (is)
Irish: bris
Italian: rompersi (it), scassarsi
Japanese: 壊れる (ja) (こわれる, kowareru)
Korean: 부서지다 (ko) (buseojida)
Latvian: salūzt, lūzt
Polish: zespuć się pf, psuć się (pl) impf
Portuguese: quebrar (pt), partir (pt)
Russian: лома́ться (ru) impf (lomátʹsja), слома́ться (ru) pf (slomátʹsja)
Scottish Gaelic: bris
Slovak: pokaziť sa
Slovene: pokvariti se
Spanish: descomponerse (es)
Swahili: kuvunjika
Swedish: gå sönder (sv)
Tagalog: masira
Telugu: చెడిపోవు (te) (ceḍipōvu)
Thai: พัง (th) (pang), ชำรุด (th)
Tok Pisin: bruk
Turkish: bozulmak (tr)
Vietnamese: hỏng (vi)

transitive: to cause to stop functioning

Armenian: ջարդել (hy) (ǰardel), կոտրել (hy) (kotrel), փչացնել (hy) (pʿčʿacʿnel)
Azerbaijani: xarab eləmək, sındırmaq (az)
Bulgarian: развалям (bg) (razvaljam), разбивам (bg) (razbivam)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 破坏 (zh), 损坏 (zh)
Czech: pokazit
Danish: ødelægge (da), smadre (da)
Dutch: kapotmaken (nl), stukmaken (nl)
Finnish: rikkoa (fi), särkeä (fi)
French: casser (fr), mettre en panne
German: kaputtmachen (de)
Greek: χαλάω (el) (chaláo)
Hebrew: שבר‎ (he) (shavár)
Hungarian: elront (hu), tönkretesz (hu)
Icelandic: skemma (is), eyðileggja (is)
Irish: bris
Italian: fermare (it), interrompere (it), stoppare (it)
Japanese: 壊す (ja) (kowasu), 破壊する (ja) (hakai suru)
Korean: 부수다 (ko) (busuda)
Latvian: salauzt, lauzt
Maori: whakakaurapa
Persian: خراب کردن‎ (fa) (xarâb kardan)
Polish: zepsuć (pl) pf, psuć (pl) impf
Portuguese: estragar (pt), partir (pt)
Russian: лома́ть (ru) impf (lomátʹ), слома́ть (ru) pf (slomátʹ), по́ртить (ru) impf (pórtitʹ), испо́ртить (ru) pf (ispórtitʹ)
Scottish Gaelic: bris
Slovak: pokaziť, znefunkčniť
Slovene: pokvariti
Spanish: descomponer (es)
Swahili: kuvunja
Swedish: ha sönder, ta sönder (sv)
Tagalog: sirain
Thai: พัง (th) (pang), ชำรุด (th)
Tok Pisin: brukim
Turkish: bozmak (tr)

to cause to no longer bar

of a spell of weather: to end

to interrupt or cease one’s work or occupation temporarily

Azerbaijani: fasilə etmək
Bulgarian: прекъсвам (bg) (prekǎsvam)
Danish: holde pause, pause (da)
Dutch: pauzeren (nl)
Finnish: pitää tauko, keskeyttää (fi)
French: faire une pause (fr)
German: pausieren (de)
Hungarian: szünetet tart (hu)
Italian: interrompere (it), fare una sosta, fare una pausa, sospendere (it)
Japanese: 休憩する (ja) (kyūkei suru)
Korean: 쉬다 (ko) (swida)
Latvian: paņemt pārtraukumu
Portuguese: pausar
Russian: де́лать переры́в (délatʹ pererýv)
Swedish: avbryta (sv), bryta (sv)
Thai: หยุด (th) (yùt), พักผ่อน (th) (pák-pɔ̀n)
Ukrainian: робит́и пере́рву (robyt́y perérvu), пере́рва (perérva)

to disclose or make known an item of news

Finnish: uutisoida (fi), kertoa (fi)
French: publier (fr), révéler (fr)
German: publizieren (de) (exalted), herauskommen (de), herausbringen, bekannt geben (de), bekannt machen, publik machen, überbringen (de)
Hungarian: közöl (hu)
Italian: trapelare (it), filtrare (it), diffondere (it)
Korean: 까발리다 (ko) (kkaballida)
Russian: раскрыть (ru) (raskrytʹ)

to become audible suddenly

to change a steady state abruptly

to do better than a record

Finnish: murtaa (fi)
French: battre (fr) (un record)
German: brechen (de)
Hungarian: megdönt (hu), dönt (hu), megjavít (hu), javít (hu)
Italian: frantumare (it)
Portuguese: quebrar (pt)
Slovak: prekonať
Thai: ทำลาย (สถิติ) (tam-laai(sà-tì-dtì))
Turkish: kırmak (tr)

to reduce the military rank of

Translations to be checked

Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} пречупвам (bg) (prečupvam)
Danish: ^{(please verify)} knække, ^{(please verify)} knuse (da)
Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} brjóta niður
Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} memecah (id) , ^{(please verify)} memecahkan (id) , ^{(please verify)} merusak (id)
Ineseño: ^{(please verify)} kʼot
Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 壊す (ja) (kowasu), ^{(please verify)} 破壊する (hakai suru)
Korean: ^{(please verify)} 꺾다 (ko) (kkeokda)
Lao: ^{(please verify)} ເພ (phē), ^{(please verify)} ແຕກ (tǣk)
Latin: ^{(please verify)} rumpere, ^{(please verify)} frangere (la)
Latvian: ^{(please verify)} salauzt, ^{(please verify)} lauzt
Norman: ^{(please verify)} d’pichi (Jersey)
Swedish: ^{(please verify)} bryta ned (sv)

Noun[edit]

break (plural breaks)

An instance of breaking something into two or more pieces.

Synonym: split

The femur has a clean break and so should heal easily.
A physical space that opens up in something or between two things.

Synonyms: breach, gap, space; see also Thesaurus:interspace, Thesaurus:hole

The sun came out in a break in the clouds.

He waited minutes for a break in the traffic to cross the highway.
A rest or pause, usually from work.

Synonyms: time-out; see also Thesaurus:pause

Let’s take a five-minute break.
1. (UK, education) A time for students to talk or play between lessons.
  
  Synonyms: (UK) playtime, (US) recess
2. A scheduled interval of days or weeks between periods of school instruction; a holiday.
  
  winter break, spring break
A short holiday.

Synonyms: day off, time off; see also Thesaurus:vacation

a weekend break on the Isle of Wight
A temporary split with a romantic partner.

I think we need a break.
An interval or intermission between two parts of a performance, for example a theatre show, broadcast, or sports game.
- 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 — 0 Bolton”, in BBC‎^[9]:
  
  But they marginally improved after the break as Didier Drogba hit the post.
A significant change in circumstance, attitude, perception, or focus of attention.

big break

lucky break, bad break
(finance) A sudden fall in prices on the stock exchange.
- 1947, Reports of the Tax Court of the United States (volume 8, page 459)
  
  Following the invasion of France by the Germans in May of 1940, the securities markets experienced a break in prices.
The beginning (of the morning).

Synonyms: crack of dawn; see also Thesaurus:dawn

at the break of day
An act of escaping.

make a break for it, for the door

It was a clean break.

prison break
(computing) The separation between lines, paragraphs or pages of a written text.
- 2001, Nan Barber, David Reynolds, Office 2001 for Macintosh: The Missing Manual (page 138)
  
  No matter how much text you add above the break, the text after the break will always appear at the top of a new page.
(computing) A keystroke or other signal that causes a program to terminate or suspend execution.
(programming) Short for breakpoint.
(Britain, weather) A change, particularly the end of a spell of persistent good or bad weather.
(sports and games):
2. (tennis) A game won by the receiving player(s).
3. (billiards, snooker, pool) The first shot in a game of billiards.
4. (snooker) The number of points scored by one player in one visit to the table.
5. (soccer) The counter-attack.
  - 2010 December 28, Owen Phillips, “Sunderland 0 — 2 Blackpool”, in BBC‎^[10]:
    
    Blackpool were not without their opportunities — thanks to their willingness to commit and leave men forward even when under severe pressure — and they looked very capable of scoring on the break.
6. (golf) The curve imparted to the ball’s motion on the green due to slope or grass texture.
7. (surfing) A place where waves break (that is, where waves pitch or spill forward creating white water).
  
  The final break in the Greenmount area is Kirra Point.
8. (horse racing) The start of a horse race.
  - 1999, Jay Hovdey, Cigar: America’s Horse (page 63)
    
    Cigar was distracted at the break and let his five opponents get the jump.
  - 2010, John Alexander, Exotic Wagering the Winning Way (page 60)
    
    Perhaps it stumbles to its knees at the break, effectively losing the race at the outset.
(dated) A large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash top, with the driver’s seat in front and the footman’s behind.
(equitation) A sharp bit or snaffle.
- 1576, George Gascoigne, The Steele Glas
  
  Pampered jades […] which need nor break nor bit.
(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.
(music) The point in the musical scale at which a woodwind instrument is designed to overblow, that is, to move from its lower to its upper register.

Crossing the break smoothly is one of the first lessons the young clarinettist needs to master.
(music) The transition area between a singer’s vocal registers; the passaggio.
- 1862, John Winebrenner, The Serephina, Or, Christian Library of Church Music‎^[11], page 13:
  
  34. Of the Registers of the Voice — All singers have observed that there are certain parts of the Vocal Scale where a break, as it is called, seldom fails to occur.
- 2007, S. Anthony Frisella, The Baritone Voice: A Personal Guide to Acquiring a Superior Singing Technique‎^[12], page 14:
  
  The point of division between the two vocal registers is most frequently referred to as the register’s break.
- 2018, Karen Brunssen, The Evolving Singing Voice: Changes Across the Lifespan‎^[13], page 76:
  
  Boys should continue in their high voice, across the break to the lower range, and end up with a voice that doesn’t have a break (Leck, 2009).
(geography, chiefly in the plural) An area along a river that features steep banks, bluffs, or gorges (e.g., Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, US).
(obsolete, slang) An error. [late 19th–early 20th c.]
- 1916, Ring W. Lardner, “Three Kings and a Pair”, in The Saturday Evening Post‎^[14]:
  
  «Maybe he will some day,» says the Missus, and then her and Bessie pretended like they’d made a break and was embarrassed.

Usage notes[edit]

(short section of 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.

Derived terms[edit]

bathroom break
beach break
big break
bio break
bio-break
break clause
break dance
break dancer
break dancing
break figure
break movie
break of dawn
break of day
break of gauge
break point
break room
break time
break-building
break-bulk
career break
catch a break
century break
city break
class break
clean break
coffee break
comfort break
commercial break
dam break
day-break
daybreak
double break
double break point
double-break
fag break
fast break
fire break
gimme a break
give someone a break
half-break
hammer break
harvest break
have a break
heartbreak
jail break
jailbreak
leg break
limit break
lucky break
lunch break
make a break for it
March break
maximum break
mid-term break
midterm break
mini-break
no-break space
off break
pawn break
physical break
pinky break
point break
prison break
reading break
reef break
sand break
short break
soft break
spring break
station break
syllabic break
take a break
tax break
tea break
thermal break
tie break
tie-break
tough break
water break
wet break
wind break
wind-break
winter break
word break
word-break
zoo break

Translations[edit]

instance of breaking something into pieces

Bulgarian: счу́пване (bg) n (sčúpvane)
Danish: brud (da) n
Finnish: murtuma (fi), murtaminen (fi), särkeminen (fi), särkyminen (fi), rikkominen (fi), rikkoutuminen (fi)
French: casse (fr) f
Galician: crebadura f, quebradura f
German: Bruch (de) m
Hebrew: שְׁבִירָה‎ f (sh’virá)
Latvian: lūšana f
Manx: brishey m
Norwegian:

Bokmål: brudd n
Portuguese: quebra (pt) f
Romanian: întrerupere (ro) f, rupere (ro) f, ruptură (ro) f, fractură (ro) f
Slovak: lom, zlom, zlomenina
Spanish: ruptura (es) f
Swedish: brott (sv) n

physical space that opens up in something or between two things

Bulgarian: цепнатина́ (bg) f (cepnatiná), пукнатина́ (bg) f (puknatiná)
Danish: åbning c, hul (da) n
Finnish: aukko (fi)
French: espace (fr) m, ouverture (fr) f
German: Öffnung (de) f, Spalt (de) m
Japanese: 割れ目 (われめ, wareme), 隙間 (ja) (すきま, sukima)
Latvian: lūzums m
Norwegian:

Bokmål: åpning (no) m or f, hull (no) n
Portuguese: fenda (pt) f, fresta (pt) f
Romanian: crăpătură (ro) f, spațiu (gol) n, deschidere (ro) f, spărtură (ro) f
Russian: разло́м (ru) m (razlóm)
Slovak: medzera (sk)
Tagalog: pugto

rest or pause, usually from work

Arabic: اِسْتِرَاحَة‎ f (istirāḥa)
Azerbaijani: fasilə
Belarusian: перапы́нак m (pjerapýnak), прэ́рва f (prérva)
Bulgarian: па́уза (bg) f (páuza), междуча́сие (bg) n (meždučásie)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 休息 (zh) (xiūxí)
Czech: přestávka (cs) f, pauza (cs) f
Danish: pause (da) c
Esperanto: paŭzo
Finnish: tauko (fi)
French: pause (fr) f
German: Pause (de) f
Greek: διάλειμμα (el) n (diáleimma)

Ancient: ἀνάπαυσις f (anápausis)
Hungarian: szünet (hu)
Italian: pausa (it) f, sosta (it) f
Japanese: 休憩 (ja) (きゅうけい, kyūkei)
Khmer: ល្ហែ (km) (lhae)
Korean: 휴게(休憩) (ko) (hyuge)
Latvian: pārtraukums m
Polish: przerwa (pl) f
Portuguese: pausa (pt)
Romanian: pauză (ro) f
Russian: переры́в (ru) m (pererýv)
Slovak: prestávka f
Slovene: odmor
Spanish: receso (es) m, pausa (es) f, respiro (es) m
Swedish: avbrott (sv) n, rast (sv) c, paus (sv) c
Tagalog: tayong
Turkish: ara (tr)
Ukrainian: пере́рва f (perérva)

significant change in circumstance

act of escaping

Catalan: escapada (ca) f
Finnish: pako (fi)
French: évasion (fr) f
German: Ausbruch (de) m
Polish: ucieczka (pl) f
Portuguese: fuga (pt) f
Russian: побе́г (ru) m (pobég)
Slovak: útek

snooker: number of points in one visit

Turkish: seri (tr)

music: a transition area between a singer’s vocal registers

References[edit]

^ Jespersen, Otto (1909) A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles (Sammlung germanischer Elementar- und Handbücher; 9)‎^[1], volume I: Sounds and Spellings, London: George Allen & Unwin, published 1961, § 11.75, page 339.

Etymology 2[edit]

Clipping of breakdown (the percussion break of songs chosen by a DJ for use in hip-hop music) and see also breakdancing.

Noun[edit]

break (plural breaks)

(music) A section of extended repetition of the percussion break to a song, created by a hip-hop DJ as rhythmic dance music.

Derived terms[edit]

Amen break

Verb[edit]

break (third-person singular simple present breaks, present participle breaking, simple past and past participle breaked)

(music, slang) To B-boy; to breakdance.
- 1985, “King of Rock”, performed by Run-DMC:
  
  Let the poppers pop and the breakers break / We’re cool, cool cats, it’s like that

[edit]

breaker

References[edit]

break at OneLook Dictionary Search
2001. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: North America. Garland Publishing. Ellen Koskoff (Ed.). Pgs. 694-695.

Anagrams[edit]

Abrek, Baker, Brake, baker, barke, brake

French[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): /bʁɛk/

Etymology 1[edit]

Borrowed from English break.

Noun[edit]

break m (plural breaks)

break (pause, holiday)

Synonym: pause

C’est l’heure de faire un break. ― It’s time to take a break.
(tennis) break (of serve)

Derived terms[edit]

balle de break

Etymology 2[edit]

un break

From earlier break de chasse, from English shooting brake.

Noun[edit]

break m (plural breaks)

(automotive) estate car, station wagon

Antonym: berline

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English break.

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): /ˈbrɛk/^[1]
Rhymes: -ɛk

Noun[edit]

break m (invariable)

break (intermission or brief suspension of activity)

Interjection[edit]

break

break! (boxing)

References[edit]

^ break in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English break.

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): /ˈbɾeik/ [ˈbɾei̯k]
Rhymes: -eik

Noun[edit]

break m (plural breaks)

break (pause)
(tennis) break

Princeton’s WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

interruption, breaknoun

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»
break, good luck, happy chancenoun

an unexpected piece of good luck

«he finally got his big break»
fault, faulting, geological fault, shift, fracture, breaknoun

(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»
rupture, breach, break, severance, rift, falling outnoun

a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)

«they hoped to avoid a break in relations»
respite, recess, break, time outnoun

a pause from doing something (as work)

«we took a 10-minute break»; «he took time out to recuperate»
breakage, break, breakingnoun

the act of breaking something

«the breakage was unavoidable»
pause, intermission, break, interruption, suspensionnoun

a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
fracture, breaknoun

breaking of hard tissue such as bone

«it was a nasty fracture»; «the break seems to have been caused by a fall»
breaknoun

the occurrence of breaking

«the break in the dam threatened the valley»
breaknoun

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»
breaknoun

the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool
break, break of servenoun

(tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving

«he was up two breaks in the second set»
break, interruption, disruption, gapnoun

an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity

«it was presented without commercial breaks»; «there was a gap in his account»
breaknoun

a sudden dash

«he made a break for the open door»
open frame, breaknoun

any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare

«the break in the eighth frame cost him the match»
break, breakout, jailbreak, gaolbreak, prisonbreak, prison-breakingverb

an escape from jail

«the breakout was carefully planned»
interrupt, breakverb

terminate

«She interrupted her pregnancy»; «break a lucky streak»; «break the cycle of poverty»
break, separate, split up, fall apart, come apartverb

become separated into pieces or fragments

«The figurine broke»; «The freshly baked loaf fell apart»
breakverb

render inoperable or ineffective

«You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!»
break, bustverb

ruin completely

«He busted my radio!»
breakverb

destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments

«He broke the glass plate»; «She broke the match»
transgress, offend, infract, violate, go against, breach, breakverb

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»
break, break out, break awayverb

move away or escape suddenly

«The horses broke from the stable»; «Three inmates broke jail»; «Nobody can break out—this prison is high security»
breakverb

scatter or part

«The clouds broke after the heavy downpour»
break, burst, eruptverb

force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up

«break into tears»; «erupt in anger»
break, break off, discontinue, stopverb

prevent completion

«stop the project»; «break off the negotiations»
break in, breakverb

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?»
break in, breakverb

make submissive, obedient, or useful

«The horse was tough to break»; «I broke in the new intern»
violate, go against, breakverb

fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns

«This sentence violates the rules of syntax»
better, breakverb

surpass in excellence

«She bettered her own record»; «break a record»
unwrap, disclose, let on, bring out, reveal, discover, expose, divulge, break, give away, let outverb

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»
breakverb

come into being

«light broke over the horizon»; «Voices broke in the air»
fail, go bad, give way, die, give out, conk out, go, break, break downverb

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»
break, break awayverb

interrupt a continued activity

«She had broken with the traditional patterns»
breakverb

make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one’s own by quitting or fleeing

«The ranks broke»
breakverb

curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves

«The surf broke»
dampen, damp, soften, weaken, breakverb

lessen in force or effect

«soften a shock»; «break a fall»
breakverb

be broken in

«If the new teacher won’t break, we’ll add some stress»
breakverb

come to an end

«The heat wave finally broke yesterday»
breakverb

vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity

«The flat plain was broken by tall mesas»
breakverb

cause to give up a habit

«She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes»
breakverb

give up

«break cigarette smoking»
breakverb

come forth or begin from a state of latency

«The first winter storm broke over New York»
breakverb

happen or take place

«Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months»
breakverb

cause the failure or ruin of

«His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage»; «This play will either make or break the playwright»
breakverb

invalidate by judicial action

«The will was broken»
separate, part, split up, split, break, break upverb

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»
demote, bump, relegate, break, kick downstairsverb

assign to a lower position; reduce in rank

«She was demoted because she always speaks up»; «He was broken down to Sergeant»
bankrupt, ruin, break, smashverb

reduce to bankruptcy

«My daughter’s fancy wedding is going to break me!»; «The slump in the financial markets smashed him»
breakverb

change directions suddenly
breakverb

emerge from the surface of a body of water

«The whales broke»
collapse, fall in, cave in, give, give way, break, founderverb

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»
break dance, break-dance, breakverb

do a break dance

«Kids were break-dancing at the street corner»
breakverb

exchange for smaller units of money

«I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy»
break, break upverb

destroy the completeness of a set of related items

«The book dealer would not break the set»
breakverb

make the opening shot that scatters the balls
breakverb

separate from a clinch, in boxing

«The referee broke the boxers»
break, wear, wear out, bust, fall apartverb

go to pieces

«The lawn mower finally broke»; «The gears wore out»; «The old chair finally fell apart completely»
break, break off, snap offverb

break a piece from a whole

«break a branch from a tree»
breakverb

become punctured or penetrated

«The skin broke»
breakverb

pierce or penetrate

«The blade broke her skin»
break, get out, get aroundverb

be released or become known; of news

«News of her death broke in the morning»
pause, intermit, breakverb

cease an action temporarily

«We pause for station identification»; «let’s break for lunch»
breakverb

interrupt the flow of current in

«break a circuit»
breakverb

undergo breaking

«The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages»
breakverb

find a flaw in

«break an alibi»; «break down a proof»
breakverb

find the solution or key to

«break the code»
breakverb

change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another

«Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children»
break, recrudesce, developverb

happen

«Report the news as it develops»; «These political movements recrudesce from time to time»
crack, check, breakverb

become fractured; break or crack on the surface only

«The glass cracked when it was heated»
breakverb

crack; of the male voice in puberty

«his voice is breaking—he should no longer sing in the choir»
breakverb

fall sharply

«stock prices broke»
fracture, breakverb

fracture a bone of

«I broke my foot while playing hockey»
breakverb

diminish or discontinue abruptly

«The patient’s fever broke last night»
breakverb

weaken or destroy in spirit or body

«His resistance was broken»; «a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death»

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

breaknoun

An instance of breaking something into two pieces.

The femur has a clean break and so should heal easily.
breaknoun

A physical space that opens up in something or between two things.
breaknoun

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.
breaknoun

A rest or pause, usually from work; a breaktime.

Let’s take a five-minute break.
breaknoun

A temporary split (with a romantic partner).

I think we need a break.
breaknoun

An interval or intermission between two parts of a performance, for example a theatre show, broadcast, or sports game.
breaknoun

A significant change in circumstance, attitude, perception, or focus of attention: big break, lucky break, bad break.
breaknoun

a change; the end of a spell of persistent good or bad weather
breaknoun

The beginning (of the morning).
breakverb

To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.
breakverb

To divide (something, often money) into smaller units.
breakverb

To cause (a person) to lose his or her spirit or will; to crush the spirits of; to ruin (a person) emotionally.
breakverb

To cause an animal to lose its will, to tame.

You have to break an elephant before you can use it as an animal of burden.
breakverb

To cause (a habit) to no longer exist.

I’ve got to break this habit I have of biting my nails.
breakverb

To ruin financially.

The recession broke some small businesses.
breakverb

To do that which is forbidden by (a rule, promise, etc.).
breakverb

To pass the most dangerous part of the illness; to go down, temperaturewise.

Susan’s fever broke at about 3 AM, and the doctor said the worst was over.
breakverb

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.
breaknoun

An act of escaping.
breaknoun

A place where waves break (that is, where waves pitch or spill forward creating white water).

The final break in the Greenmount area is Kirra Point.
breaknoun
breakverb

To stop, or to cause to stop, functioning properly or altogether.
breakverb

To cause (a barrier) to no longer bar.

break a seal
breakverb

To collapse into surf, after arriving in shallow water.
breakverb

To end.

The forecast says the hot weather will break by midweek
breakverb

To interrupt or cease one’s work or occupation temporarily.

Let’s break for lunch.
breakverb

To interrupt (a fall) by inserting something so that the falling object not hit something else beneath.

He survived the jump out the window because the bushes below broke his fall.
breakverb

To disclose or make known an item of news, etc.
breakverb

To arrive.

Morning has broken.
breakverb

To become audible suddenly.
breakverb

To change a steady state abruptly.
breakverb

To suddenly become.
breakverb

Of a voice, to alter in type: in men generally to go up, in women sometimes to go down; to crack.

His voice breaks when he gets emotional.
breakverb

To surpass or do better than (a specific number), to do better than (a record), setting a new record.
breakverb
breakverb

To demote, to reduce the military rank of.
breakverb

To end (a connection), to disconnect.
breakverb

To demulsify.
breakverb

To counter-attack
Etymology: From breken, from brecan, from brekanan, from bhrag’-.

Samuel Johnson’s DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

Breaknoun

Etymology: from the verb.

1. State of being broken; opening.

From the break of day until noon, the roaring of the cannon never ceased.
Richard Knolles, Hist. of the Turks.

For now, and since first break of day, the fiend,
Mere serpent in appearance, forth was come.
Parad. Lost.

They must be drawn from far, and without breaks, to avoid the multiplicity of lines.
John Dryden, Dufresnoy.

The sight of it would be quite lost, did it not sometimes discover itself through the breaks and openings of the woods that grow about it.
Addison.

2. A pause; an interruption.3. A line drawn, noting that the sense is suspended.

All modern trash is
Set forth with num’rous breaks and dashes.
Jonathan Swift.
To BREAKverb

pret. I broke, or brake; part. pass. broke, or broken.

Etymology: breccan , Saxon.

1. To part by violence.

When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets of fragments took ye up?
Mark, viii. 19.

Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psalm ii. 3.

See, said the fire, how soon ’tis done;
Then took and broke them one by one:
So strong you’ll be in friendship ty’d;
So quickly broke, if you divide.
Jonathan Swift.

2. To burst, or open by force.

Moses tells us, that the fountains of the earth were broke open, or clove asunder.
Thomas Burnet, Theory.

3. To pierce; to divide, as light divides darkness.

By a dim winking lamp, which feebly broke
The gloomy vapours, he lay stretch’d along.
Dryden.

4. To destroy by violence.

This is the fabrick, which, when God breaketh down, none can build up again.
Thomas Burnet, Theory.

5. To overcome; to surmount.

Into my hand he forc’d the tempting gold,
While I with modest struggling broke his hold.
John Gay.

6. To batter; to make breaches or gaps in.

I’d give bay Curtal, and his furniture,
My mouth no more were broken than these boys,
And writ as little beard.
William Shakespeare, All’s well that ends well.

7. To crush or destroy the strength of the body.

O father abbot!
An old man, broken with the storms of state,
Is come to lay his weary bones among ye;
Give him a little earth for charity.
William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

The breaking of that parliament
Broke him; as that dishonest victory
At Chæronea, fatal to liberty,
Kill’d with report that old man eloquent.
John Milton.

Have not some of his vices weakened his body, and broke his health? have not others dissipated his estate, and reduced him to want?
John Tillotson.

8. To sink or appal the spirit.

I’ll brave her to her face;
I’ll give my anger its free course against her:
Thou shalt see, Phœnix, how I’ll break her pride.
Philips.

9. To subdue.

Why, then, thou can’st not break her to the lute. ——
—— Why, no; for she hath broke the lute to me.
William Shakespeare, Taming the Shrew.

Behold young Juba, the Numidian prince,
With how much care he forms himself to glory,
And breaks the fierceness of his native temper.
Joseph Addison, Cato.

10. To crush; to disable; to incapacitate.

The defeat of that day at Cropredy was much greater than it then appeared to be; and it even broke the heart of his army.
Edward Hyde.

Your hopes without are vanish’d into smoke;
Your captains taken, and your armies broke.
Dryden.

11. To weaken the mind.

Opprest nature sleeps:
This rest might yet have balm’d thy broken senses,
Which, if conveniency will not allow,
Stand in hard cure.
William Shakespeare, King Lear.

If any dabler in poetry dares venture upon the experiment, he will only break his brains.
Henry Felton, on the Classicks.

12. To tame; to train to obedience.

What boots it to break a colt, and to let him streight run loose at random?
Edmund Spenser, State of Ireland.

So fed before he’s broke, he’ll bear
Too great a stomach patiently to feel
The lashing whip, or chew the curbing steel.
Thomas May, Virgil.

That hot-mouth’d beast that bears against the curb,
Hard to be broken even by lawful kings.
Dryden.

No sports but what belong to war they know,
To break the stubborn colt, to bend the bow.
Dryden.

Virtues like these,
Make human nature shine, reform the soul,
And break our fierce barbarians into men.
Joseph Addison, Cato.

13. To make bankrupt.

For this few know themselves: for merchants broke,
View their estate with discontent and pain.
Davies.

The king’s grown bankrupt, like a broken man.
William Shakespeare.

With arts like these, rich Matho, when he speaks,
Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks.
Dryden.

A command or call to be liberal, all of a sudden impoverishes the rich, breaks the merchant, and shuts up every private man’s exchequer.
South.

14. To crack or open the skin, so as that the blood comes.

She could have run and waddled all about; even the day before she broke her brow; and then my husband took up the child.
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.

Weak soul! and blindly to destruction led:
She break her heart! she’ll sooner break your head.
Dryden.

15. To violate a contract or promise.

Lovers break not hours,
Unless it be to come before their time.
William Shakespeare, T. G. of Ver.

Pardon this fault, and, by my soul I swear,
I never more will break an oath with thee.
William Shakespeare.

Did not our worthies of the house,
Before they broke the peace, break vows?
Hudibras.

16. To infringe a law.

Unhappy man! to break the pious laws
Of nature, pleading in his children’s cause.
Dryden.

17. To intercept; to hinder the effect of.

Break their talk, mistress, quickly; my kinsman shall speak for himself.
William Shakespeare, Merry Wives of Windsor.

Spirit of wine, mingled with common water, yet so as if the first fall be broken, by means of a sop, or otherwise, it stayeth above.
Francis Bacon, Physical Remains.

Think not my sense of virtue is so small;
I’ll rather leap down first, and break your fall.
Dryden.

As one condemn’d to leap a precipice,
Who sees before his eyes the depth below,
Stops short, and looks about for some kind shrub,
To break his dreadful fall.
John Dryden, Spanish Friar.

She held my hand, the destin’d blow to break,
Then from her rosy lips began to speak.
Dryden.

18. To interrupt.

Some solitary cloister will I choose,
Coarse my attire, and short shall be my sleep,
Broke by the melancholy midnight bell.
John Dryden, Sp. Friar.

The father was so moved, that he could only command his voice, broke with sighs and sobbings, so far as to bid her proceed.
Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 164.

The poor shade shiv’ring stands, and must not break
His painful silence, till the mortal speak.
Thomas Tickell.

Sometimes in broken words he sigh’d his care,
Look’d pale, and tumbled when he view’d the fair.
John Gay.

19. To separate company.

Did not Paul and Barnabas dispute with that vehemence, that they were forced to break company?
Francis Atterbury.

20. To dissolve any union.

It is great folly, as well as injustice, to break off so noble a relation.
Jeremy Collier, of Friendship.

21. To reform; with of.

The French were not quite broken of it, until some time after they became christians.
Nehemiah Grew, Cosmologia Sacra, b. iii. c. 6.

22. To open something new; to propound something by an overture.

When any new thing shall be propounded, no counsellor should suddenly deliver any positive opinion, but only hear it, and, at the most, but to break it, at first, that it may be the better understood at the next meeting.
Francis Bacon.

I, who much desir’d to know
Of whence she was, yet fearful how to break
My mind, adventur’d humbly thus to speak.
John Dryden, Fab.

23. To break the back. To strain or dislocate the vertebræ with too heavy burdens.

I’d rather crack my sinews, break my back,
Than you should such dishonour undergo.
William Shakespeare, Tempest.

24. To break the back. To disable one’s fortune.

O, many
Have broke their backs, with laying manors on ’em,
For this great journey.
William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

25. To break a deer. To cut it up at table.26. To break fast. To eat the first time in the day.27. To break ground. To plow.

When the price of corn falleth, men generally give over surplus tillage, and break no more ground than will serve to supply their own turn.
Richard Carew, Survey of Cornwal.

The husbandman must first break the land, before it be made capable of good seed.
John Davies, on Ireland.

28. To break ground. To open trenches.29. To break the heart. To destroy with grief.

Good my lord, enter here. ————
—— Will’t break my heart? ————
I’d rather break mine own.
William Shakespeare, King Lear.

Should not all relations bear a part?
It were enough to break a single heart.
Dryden.

30. To break a jest. To utter a jest unexpected.31. To break the neck. To lux, or put out the neck joints.

I had as lief thou didst break his neck, as his fingers.
William Shakespeare.

32. To break off. To put a sudden stop.33. To break off. To preclude by some obstacle suddenly interposed.

To check the starts and sallies of the soul,
And break off all its commerce with the tongue.
Addison.

34. To break up. To dissolve; to put a sudden end to.

Who cannot rest till he good fellows find;
He breaks up house, turns out of doors his mind.
George Herbert.

He threatened, that the tradesmen would beat out his teeth, if he did not retire immediately, and break up the meeting.
John Arbuthnot, History of J. Bull.

35. To break up. To open; to lay open.

The shells being thus lodged amongst this mineral matter, when this comes now to be broke up, it exhibits impressions of the shells.
John Woodward, on Fossils.

36. To break up. To separate or disband.

After taking the strong city of Belgrade, Solyman returning to Constantinople, broke up his army, and there lay still the whole year following.
Richard Knolles, History of the Turks.

37. To break upon the wheel. To punish by stretching a criminal upon the wheel, and breaking his bones with bats.38. To break wind. To give vent to wind in the body.
To Breakverb

1. To part in two.

Give sorrow words, the grief that does not speak,
Whispers the o’erfraught heart, and bids it break.
William Shakespeare.

2. To burst.

The clouds are still above; and, while I speak,
A second deluge o’er our heads may break.
Dryden.

The Roman camp
Hangs o’er us black and threatning, like a storm
Just breaking on our heads.
John Dryden, All for Love.

3. To burst by dashing, as waves on a rock.

He could compare the confusion of a multitude to that tumult in the Icarian sea, dashing and breaking among its crowd of islands.
Alexander Pope, Essay on Homer.

At last a falling billow stops his breath,
Breaks o’er his head, and whelms him underneath.
Dryden.

4. To break as a swelling; to open, and discharge matter.

Some hidden abscess in the mesentery, breaking some few days after, was discovered to be an aposteme.
Gideon Harvey.

Ask one who hath subdued his natural rage, how he likes the change, and undoubtedly he will tell you, that it is no less happy than the ease of a broken impostume, after the painful gathering and filling of it.
Decay of Piety.

5. To open as the morning.

The day breaks not, it is my heart,
Because that I and you must part.
Stay, or else my joys will die,
And perish in their infancy.
John Donne.

When a man thinks of any thing in the darkness of the night, whatever deep impressions it may make in his mind, they are apt to vanish as soon as the day breaks about him.
Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 465.

6. To burst forth; to exclaim.

Every man,
After the hideous storm that follow’d, was
A thing inspir’d; and, not consulting, broke
Into a general prophecy.
William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

7. To become bankrupt.

I did mean, indeed, to pay you with this; which, if, like an ill venture, it come unluckily home, I break, and you, my gentle creditors, lose.
William Shakespeare, Henry IV. p. ii. Epilogue.

He that puts all upon adventures, doth oftentimes break, and come to poverty.
Francis Bacon, Essays, №. 35.

Cutler saw tenants break, and houses fall,
For very want he could not build a wall.
Alexander Pope.

8. To decline in health and strength.

Yet thus, methinks, I hear them speak;
See how the dean begins to break:
Poor gentleman! he droops apace.
Jonathan Swift.

9. To issue out with vehemence.

Whose wounds, yet fresh, with bloody hands he strook,
While from his breast the dreadful accents broke.
Alexander Pope.

10. To make way with some kind of suddeness, impetuosity, or violence.

Calamities may be nearest at hand, and readiest to break in suddenly upon us, which we, in regard of times or circumstances, may imagine to be farthest off.
Richard Hooker, b. v. § 41.

The three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines.
2 Sam. xxiii. 16.

They came into Judah, and brake into it.
2 Chron. xxi. 17.

Or who shut up the sea within doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?
Job, xxxviii. 8.

This, this is he; softly awhile,
Let us not break in upon him.
John Milton, Agonistes, l. 115.

He resolved, that Balfour should use his utmost endeavour to break through with his whole body of horse.
Edward Hyde, b. viii.

When the channel of a river is overcharged with water, more than it can deliver, it necessarily breaks over the banks, to make itself room.
Matthew Hale, Origin of Mankind.

Sometimes his anger breaks through all disguises,
And spares not gods nor men.
John Denham, Sophy.

Till through those clouds the sun of knowledge brake,
And Europe from her lethargy did wake.
John Denham.

Oh! could’st thou break through fate’s severe decree,
A new Marcellus shall arise in thee.
John Dryden, Æneid.

At length I’ve acted my severest part;
I feel the woman breaking in upon me,
And melt about my heart, my tears will flow.
Joseph Addison, Cato.

How does the lustre of our father’s actions,
Through the dark cloud of ills that cover him,
Break out, and burn with more triumphant blaze!
Addison.

And yet, methinks, a beam of light breaks in,
On my departing soul.
Joseph Addison, Cato.

There are not wanting some, who, struck with the usefulness of these charities, break through all the difficulties and obstructions that now lie in the way towards advancing them.
Francis Atterbury.

Almighty pow’r, by whose most wise command,
Helpless, forlorn, uncertain here I stand;
Take this faint glimmering of thyself away,
Or break into my soul with perfect day!
Arbuthnot.

Heav’n its sparkling portals wide display,
And break upon thee in a flood of day!
Alexander Pope, Messiah.

I must pay her the last duty of friendship wherever she is, though I break through the whole plan of life which I have formed in my mind.
Jonathan Swift, Letters.

11. To come to an explanation.

But perceiving this great alteration in his friend, he thought fit to break with him thereof.
Philip Sidney, b. i.

Stay with me awhile;
I am to break with thee of some affairs,
That touch me near.
William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Break with them, gentle love,
About the drawing as many of their husbands
Into the plot, as can; if not, to rid ’em,
That’ll be the easier practice.
Ben Jonson, Catiline.

12. To fall out; to be friends no longer.

Be not afraid to break
With murd’rers, and traitors, for the saving
A life so near and necessary to you,
As is your country’s.
Ben Jonson, Catiline.

To break upon the score of danger or expence, is to be mean and narrow-spirited.
Jeremy Collier, on Friendship.

Sighing, he says, we must certainly break,
And my cruel unkindness compels him to speak.
Matthew Prior.

13. To break from. To separate from with some vehemence.

How didst thou scorn life’s meaner charms,
Thou who cou’dst break from Laura’s arms?
Wentworth Dillon.

Thus radiant from the circling crowd he broke;
And thus with manly modesty he spoke.
John Dryden, Virgil.

This custom makes bigots and scepticks; and those that break from it, are in danger of heresy.
John Locke.

14. To break in. To enter unexpectedly, without proper preparation.

The doctor is a pedant, that, with a deep voice, and a magisterial air, breaks in upon conversation, and drives down all before him.
Joseph Addison, on Italy.

15. To break. To discard.

When I see a great officer broke, a change made in the court, or the ministry, and this under the most gracious princess that ever reigned.
Jonathan Swift.

16. To break loose. To escape from captivity.

Who would not, finding way, break loose from hell,
And boldly venture to whatever place,
Farthest from pain?
John Milton, Par. Lost, b. iv. l. 889.

17. To break loose. To shake off restraint.

If we deal falsely in covenant with God, and break loose from all our engagements to him, we release God from all the promises he has made to us.
John Tillotson.

18. To break off. To desist suddenly.

Do not peremptorily break off, in any business, in a fit of anger; but howsoever you shew bitterness, do not act any thing that is not revocable.
Francis Bacon.

Pius Quintus, at the very time when that memorable victory was won by the Christians at Lepanto, being then hearing of causes in consistory, broke off suddenly, and said to those about him, it is now more time we should give thanks to God.
Francis Bacon.

When you begin to consider, whether you may safely take one draught more, let that be accounted a sign late enough to break off.
Jeremy Taylor, Rule of living holy.

19. To break off from. To part from with violence.

I must from this enchanting queen break off.
William Shakespeare.

20. To break out. To discover itself in sudden effects.

Let not one spark of filthy lustful fire
Break out, that may her sacred peace molest.
Edmund Spenser.

They smother and keep down the flame of the mischief, so as it may not break out in their time of government; what comes afterwards, they care not.
Edmund Spenser, Ireland.

Such a deal of wonder is broken out within this hour, that ballad-makers cannot be able to express it.
William Shakespeare.

As fire breaks out of flint by percussion, so wisdom and truth issueth out of the agitation of argument.
James Howell.

Fully ripe, his swelling fate breaks out,
And hurries him to mighty mischiefs on.
Dryden.

All turn’d their sides, and to each other spoke;
I saw their words break out in fire and smoke.
Dryden.

Like a ball of fire, the further thrown,
Still with a greater blaze she shone,
And her bright soul broke out on ev’ry side.
Dryden.

There can be no greater labour, than to be always dissembling; there being so many ways by which a smothered truth is apt to blaze, and break out.
South.

They are men of concealed fire, that doth not break out in the ordinary circumstances of life.
Joseph Addison, on the War.

A violent fever broke out in the place, which swept away great multitudes.
Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 164.

21. To break out. To have eruptions from the body, as pustules or sores.22. To break out. To become dissolute.

He broke not out into his great excesses, while he was restrained by the counsels and authority of Seneca.
Dryden.

23. To break up. To cease; to intermit.

It is credibly affirmed, that, upon that very day, when the river first riseth, great plagues in Cairo use suddenly to break up.
Francis Bacon, Natural Hist. №. 743.

24. To break up. To dissolve itself.

These, and the like conceits, when men have cleared their understanding, by the light of experience, will scatter and break up, like mist.
Francis Bacon, Nat. Hist. №. 124.

The speedy depredation of air upon watery moisture, and version of the same into air, appeareth in nothing more visible, than the sudden discharge or vanishing of a little cloud of breath, or vapour, from glass, or any polished body; for the mistiness scattereth, and breaketh up suddenly.
Francis Bacon.

But, ere he came near it, the pillar and cross of light brake up, and cast itself abroad, as it were, into a firmament of many stars.
Francis Bacon, New Atlantis.

What we obtain by conversation, is oftentimes lost again, as soon as the company breaks up, or, at least, when the day vanishes.
Isaac Watts.

25. To break up. To begin holidays; to be dismissed from business.

Our army is dispers’d already:
Like youthful steers unyok’d, they took their course
East, west, north, south: or, like a school broke up,
Each hurries tow’rds his home and sporting-place.
William Shakespeare.

26. To break with. To part friendship with any.

There is a slave whom we have put in prison,
Reports, the Volscians, with two several powers,
Are entered in the Roman territories. ——
—— Go see this rumourer whipt. It cannot be,
The Volscians dare break with us.
William Shakespeare, Coriolanus.

Can there be any thing of friendship in snares, hooks, and trapans? Whosoever breaks with his friend upon such terms, has enough to warrant him in so doing, both before God and and man.
South.

Invent some apt pretence,
To break with Bertran.
John Dryden, Spanish Friar.

27. It is to be observed of this extensive and perplexed verb, that, in all its significations, whether active or neutral, it has some reference to its primitive meaning, by implying either detriment, suddenness, or violence.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

break

CONFIG.SYS is the primary configuration file for the DOS and OS/2 operating systems. It is a special ASCII text file that contains user-accessible setup or configuration directives evaluated by the operating system’s DOS BIOS (typically residing in IBMBIO.COM or IO.SYS) during boot. CONFIG.SYS was introduced with DOS 2.0.

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Breakverb

to strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with violence; as, to break a rope or chain; to break a seal; to break an axle; to break rocks or coal; to break a lock
Breakverb

to lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a package of goods
Breakverb

to lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate
Breakverb

to infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise
Breakverb

to interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate; as, to break silence; to break one’s sleep; to break one’s journey
Breakverb

to destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as, to break a set
Breakverb

to destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British squares
Breakverb

to shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments
Breakverb

to exchange for other money or currency of smaller denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill
Breakverb

to destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as, to break flax
Breakverb

to weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind
Breakverb

to diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a fall or blow
Breakverb

to impart, as news or information; to broach; — with to, and often with a modified word implying some reserve; as, to break the news gently to the widow; to break a purpose cautiously to a friend
Breakverb

to tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or saddle
Breakverb

to destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to ruin
Breakverb

to destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss
Breakverb

to come apart or divide into two or more pieces, usually with suddenness and violence; to part; to burst asunder
Breakverb

to open spontaneously, or by pressure from within, as a bubble, a tumor, a seed vessel, a bag
Breakverb

to burst forth; to make its way; to come to view; to appear; to dawn
Breakverb

to burst forth violently, as a storm
Breakverb

to open up; to be scattered; to be dissipated; as, the clouds are breaking
Breakverb

to become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength
Breakverb

to be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief; as, my heart is breaking
Breakverb

to fall in business; to become bankrupt
Breakverb

to make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait; as, to break into a run or gallop
Breakverb

to fail in musical quality; as, a singer’s voice breaks when it is strained beyond its compass and a tone or note is not completed, but degenerates into an unmusical sound instead. Also, to change in tone, as a boy’s voice at puberty
Breakverb

to fall out; to terminate friendship
Breakverb

an opening made by fracture or disruption
Breakverb

an interruption of continuity; change of direction; as, a break in a wall; a break in the deck of a ship
Breakverb

a projection or recess from the face of a building
Breakverb

an opening or displacement in the circuit, interrupting the electrical current
Breakverb

an interruption; a pause; as, a break in friendship; a break in the conversation
Breakverb

an interruption in continuity in writing or printing, as where there is an omission, an unfilled line, etc
Breakverb

the first appearing, as of light in the morning; the dawn; as, the break of day; the break of dawn
Breakverb

a large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash top, with the driver’s seat in front and the footman’s behind
Breakverb

a device for checking motion, or for measuring friction. See Brake, n. 9 & 10
Breaknoun

see Commutator

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

Break

In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a «break» from the main parts of the song or piece.
A solo break in jazz occurs when the rhythm section stops playing behind a soloist for a brief period, usually two or four bars leading into the soloist’s first chorus. A notable recorded example is Charlie Parker’s solo break at the beginning of his solo on «A Night in Tunisia».
In DJ parlance, a break is where all elements of a song, except for percussion, disappear for a time. This is distinguished from a breakdown, a section where the composition is deliberately deconstructed to minimal elements, all other parts having been gradually or suddenly cut out. The distinction between breaks and breakdowns may be described as, «Breaks are for the drummer; breakdowns are for hands in the air».
In hip hop and electronica, a short break is also known as a «cut», and the reintroduction of the full bass line and drums is known as a «drop», which is sometimes accented by cutting off everything, even the percussion.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

Break

brāk, v.t. to part by force: to shatter: to crush: to tame, or wear out: to violate, or outrage, as a law, a bargain, &c.: to check by intercepting, as a fall: to interrupt, as silence, or the monotony of anything, or in ‘to break one off a habit:’ to make bankrupt: to degrade from rank, as an officer.—v.i. to part in two: to burst forth: to open or appear, as the morning: to become bankrupt: to crack or give way, as the voice: to dissolve, as frost: to collapse in foam, as a wave: to fall out, as with a friend:—pa.t. brōke; pa.p. brōk′en.—n. the state of being broken: an opening: a pause or interruption: (billiards) a consecutive series of successful strokes, also the number of points attained by such: the dawn.—ns. Break′age, the action of breaking, or its consequences: an interruption; Break′-down, a dance, vigorous rather than graceful, in which much noise is made by the feet of the one performer; Break′er, a wave broken on rocks or the shore.—adj. Break′-neck, likely to cause a broken neck.—ns. Break′-prom′ise, Break′-vow, one who makes a practice of breaking his promise or vow; Break′water, a barrier to break the force of the waves.—Break a jest, to utter a jest unexpectedly; Break a lance with, to enter into a contest with a rival; Break away, to go away abruptly, as from prison, &c.: to be scattered, as clouds after a storm; Break bulk, to open the hold and take out a portion of the cargo; Break cover, to burst forth from concealment, as a fox; Break down, to crush down or level: to collapse, to fail completely; Break forth, to burst out, issue; Break ground, to commence digging or excavation: to begin; Break in, to train to labour, as a horse; Break in, in upon, or into, to enter violently or unexpectedly, to interpose abruptly in a conversation, &c.; Break loose, to extricate one’s self forcibly: to break through all restraint; Break news, to make anything known, esp. of bad news, with caution and delicacy; Break off, to separate by breaking, put an end to; Break out, to appear suddenly: to break through all restraint; Break sheer (said of a ship riding at anchor), to be forced by wind or tide out of a position clear of the anchor; Break the heart, to destroy with grief; Break the ice (fig.), to get through first difficulties: Break up, to break open; Break upon the wheel, to punish by stretching a criminal on a wheel and breaking his bones; Break wind, to void wind from the stomach; Break with, to fail out, as friends may do. [A.S. brecan; Ger. brechen.]
Break

Brake, brāk, n. a large wagonette: a carriage frame, all wheels and no body, used in breaking in horses. [Break, v.t.]

The New Hacker’s DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

break

1. vt. To cause to be
broken (in any sense). “Your latest patch to
the editor broke the paragraph commands.” 2. v. (of a program) To stop
temporarily, so that it may debugged. The place where it stops is a
breakpoint. 3. [techspeak] vi. To send an
RS-232 break (two character widths of line high) over a serial comm line.
4. [Unix] vi. To strike whatever
key currently causes the tty driver to send SIGINT to the current process.
Normally, break (sense 3), delete or control-C does
this. 5. break break may be said to
interrupt a conversation (this is an example of verb doubling). This usage
comes from radio communications, which in turn probably came from landline
telegraph/teleprinter usage, as badly abused in the Citizen’s Band craze of
the early 1980s.

The Standard Electrical DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

Break

A point where an electric conductor is cut, broken, or opened by a switch or other device, or simply by discontinuity of the wires.

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

break

The sudden rise of a deck when not flush; when the aft, and
sometimes the fore part, of a vessel’s deck is kept up to give more
height below, and at the drifts.—Break of the poop, where it ends at
the foremost part.

Rap DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

breakverb

to break dance. «I did it my way, from break dancing, back spins on the cardboard» — Nas (The Lost Tapes «My Way»)
breakverb

luck from bad luck. and she runs of with him to japan, that’s the breaks, that’s the breaks: kurtis blow — the breaks
breakverb

dip out,run,get gone,split up,etc
breakverb

A form of street dance associated with Hip Hop. It is considerd one of the elements of Hip Hop.

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Break

Brake vs. Break — In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Brake and Break.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

BREAK

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Break is ranked #138304 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

The Break surname appeared 121 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Break.

96.6% or 117 total occurrences were White.

Matched Categories

- Accident
- Appear
- Assign
- Become
- Billiards
- Change
- Change State
- Collapse
- Damage
- Dance
- Dash
- Deaden
- Delay
- Destroy
- Diminish
- Diphthongize
- Disperse
- Emerge
- End
- Express Emotion
- Fall
- Flee
- Happen
- Impoverish
- Injure
- Injury
- Interrupt
- Invalidate
- Military
- Penetrate
- Quit
- Ruin
- Score
- Separate
- Separation
- Shoot
- Shot
- Solve
- Surpass
- Switch
- Tame
- Tennis
- Trespass
- Weaken

British National Corpus

Spoken Corpus Frequency

Rank popularity for the word ‘break’ in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1913
Written Corpus Frequency

Rank popularity for the word ‘break’ in Written Corpus Frequency: #1232
Nouns Frequency

Rank popularity for the word ‘break’ in Nouns Frequency: #1059
Verbs Frequency

Rank popularity for the word ‘break’ in Verbs Frequency: #117

How to pronounce break?

How to say break in sign language?

Numerology

Chaldean Numerology

The numerical value of break in Chaldean Numerology is: 3
Pythagorean Numerology

The numerical value of break in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of break in a Sentence

James Bond:

Now? I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists, i’m over it at the moment. We’re done. All I want to do is move on.
Batman:

Batman You killed my parents. The Joker What What What are you talking about Batman I made you, you made me first. The Joker Give me a break. I was a kid when I killed your parents. When I say I made you you gotta say you made me. How childish can you get
Justin Riemer:

You can guarantee the Democrats will continue to file additional frivolous lawsuits seeking to strike down commonsense and bipartisan laws protecting the integrity of our elections, republicans will sue if and when election officials break the law and if legislatures pass 11th hour unconstitutional laws.
John McDonnell:

We have been forced into this by Theresa May delaying, running down the clock, if we can’t get that we will have to break the log jam by going back to the people. It is not what we want but it is what we have been forced into.
Kirstjen Nielsen:

This administration did not create a policy of separating families … What has changed is that we no longer exempt entire classes of people who break the law.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Translations for break

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

breekAfrikaans
انكسر, كسر, استراحةArabic
qırmaqAzerbaijani
лама́ць, разбі́ць, лама́цца, злама́цца, злама́ць, разбіва́ць, разбіва́цца, разбі́ццаBelarusian
нарушавам, разбивам, пробивам, разбивам се, прекъсвам, чупя, чупя се, развалям се, развалям, пуквам, чу́пя, счупване, цепнатина, междучасие, прибой, разбиване, пукнатина, пауза, пробивBulgarian
trencar, trencar el servei, internar-se, escapar-se, entrada, escapadaCatalan, Valencian
rozbít, porušit, rozbít se, přestat fungovat, pokazit, zlomit, zlomit si, polámat se, pokazit se, pauza, přestávkaCzech
ødelægge, brække, stykke, bryde, krænke, itu, smadre, knuse, pauseDanish
kaputtgehen, brechen, kaputtmachen, aufbrechen, pausieren, zerbrechen, knacken, anbrechen, dämmern, Öffnung, Spalt, Break, Pause, BruchGerman
χαλάω, σπάω, διάλειμμαGreek
rompiĝi, rompi, paneiEsperanto
quebrar, romper, romperse, descomponerse, descomponer, cambiar, rupturaSpanish
hautsi, apurtu, puskatuBasque
خرد کردن, شکستن, خراب کردنPersian
särkeä, lopettaa, rikkoa, särkyä, lannistaa, ratkaista, murtaa, hajota, murtua, tiltata, tauko, kajahtaa, keskeyttää, taittaa, kertoa, breikata, pirstoa, alentaa, murskata, nujertaa, jakaa, kesyttää, kaataa, mennä rikki, hellittää, pysäyttää, muuttua, uutisoida, hajottaa, koittaa, murtautua, aloittaa, katkaista, särkeminen, särkyminen, rikkoutuminen, aukko, käänne, vastahyökkäys, aamunkoitto, pako, syötönmurto, murtaminen, rikkominen, väliaika, murros, aloituslyönti, aamunkoite, murtumaFinnish
se casser, casser, outrepasser, muer, battre, contre-attaquer, se rompre, rompre, briser, diviser, dégrader, riposter, se briser, pause, espace, ouvertureFrench
brekkeWestern Frisian
brisIrish
brisScottish Gaelic
crebar, quebrar, crebadura, quebraduraGalician
jokaGuaraní
brisheyManx
שבירה, נשבר, שבר, הפר, התקלקל, שְׁבִירָהHebrew
टूटनाHindi
elromlik, törik, eltör, eltörik, megtör, elront, tör, elkedvetlenít, megszeg, szünetHungarian
կոտրվել, ջարդվել, կոտրել, խախտել, ջարդել, փչանալ, փչացնելArmenian
ruptarIdo
skemma, brotna, brjóta, eyðileggjaIcelandic
rompere, rompersi, pausaItalian
割る, ひびが入る, 折れる, 破壊, 休憩, 犯す, 壊れる, 壊す, 割れる, 散らばる, 砕く, 破る, ブレークを取る, ブレークする, 隙間, ブレーク, 割れ目Japanese
ტყდომა, მსხვრევა, მტვრევაGeorgian
сындыруKazakh
បាក់, បែកKhmer
부수다, 쉬다, 부러지다, 깨다, 잔꾀부리다, 까발리다, 깨트리다, 부러뜨리다, 부서지다Korean
شکاندنKurdish
сындырууKyrgyz
frangere, cōnfringō, rumpō, frangōLatin
sulaužytiLithuanian
salauzt, beigties, paņemt pārtraukumu, lūzt, lauzt, pārkāpt, salūzt, lūzums, pārtraukums, lūšanaLatvian
whakararata, pekehāwani, whati, pōrutu, hotu, tūātea, puapuaMāori
кр́шиMacedonian
хагарахMongolian
breken, kapotgaan, kapotmaken, pauzeren, muteren, overtreden, stukgaan, stukmakenDutch
gå i stykkerNorwegian
fragar, esberlar, quebrarOccitan
złamać, złamać się, połamać się, łamać, rozbić się, rozbijać, przerwa, przełamaniePolish
romper, quebrar, desrespeitar, partir, estragar, violar, pausar, tempo, pausaPortuguese
llik’iyQuechua
rumper, romperRomansh
rupe, crăpa, frânge, sfărâma, fractură, pauză, întrerupere, rupere, ruptură, crăpătură, deschidereRomanian
наруша́ть, по́ртить, нару́шить, испо́ртить, слома́ться, лома́ть, лома́ться, разбива́ться, разби́ться, слома́ть, разоря́ть, [[делать]] [[перерыв]], разбива́ть, разби́ть, переры́в, разло́мRussian
lomiti, ломитиSerbo-Croatian
කඩනවාSinhala, Sinhalese
razbiti, zlomiti se, razbiti se, pokvariti se, zlomiti, prekršiti, pokvariti, odmorSlovene
thyen, thyejAlbanian
sönder, bryta, spränga, gå sönder, ha, avbryta, ta, avbrott, paus, break, brott, rastSwedish
kuvunjika, kuvunjaSwahili
இடைவெளிTamil
విరుచు, విరగగొట్టు, చెడిపోవు, విరామంTelugu
шикастанTajik
เลิก, แตกThai
gyrmak, dövmekTurkmen
kırılmak, kırmakTurkish
сындырыргаTatar
розби́ти, лама́ти, розбива́ти, злама́тиUkrainian
ٹوٹناUrdu
sindirmoq, buzmoqUzbek
làm bể, bị bểVietnamese

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Idioms And Phrases

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

verb (used with object), broke or (Archaic) brake; bro·ken or (Archaic) broke; break·ing.

to smash, split, or divide into parts violently; reduce to pieces or fragments: He broke a vase.

to infringe, ignore, or act contrary to (a law, rule, promise, etc.): She broke her promise.

to dissolve or annul (often followed by off): to break off friendly relations with another country.

to fracture a bone of (some part of the body): He broke his leg.

to lacerate; wound: to break the skin.

to destroy or disrupt the regularity, uniformity, continuity, or arrangement of; interrupt: The bleating of a foghorn broke the silence. The troops broke formation.

to put an end to; overcome; stop: His touchdown run broke the tie. She found it hard to break the cigarette habit.

to discover the system, key, method, etc., for decoding or deciphering (a cryptogram), especially by the methods of cryptanalysis.

to remove a part from (a set or collection): She had to break the set to sell me the two red ones I wanted.

to exchange for or divide into smaller units or components: She broke a dollar bill into change. The prism broke the light into all the colors of the rainbow.

to make a way through; penetrate: The stone broke the surface of the water.

Law.

to open or force one’s way into (a dwelling, store, etc.).
to contest (a will) successfully by judicial action.

to make one’s way out of, especially by force: to break jail.

to better (a given score or record): He never broke 200 in bowling or 80 in golf.

to disclose or divulge personally in speech or writing: He broke the bad news to her in an early morning phone call.

to solve: The police needed only a week to break that case.

to rupture (a blood vessel): She almost broke a blood vessel from laughing so hard.

to disable or destroy by or as if by shattering or crushing: to break a watch.

to cause (a blister, boil, or the like) to burst, as by puncturing: She broke the blister with a needle.

to ruin financially; make bankrupt: They threatened to break him if he didn’t stop discounting their products.

to overcome or wear down the spirit, strength, or resistance of; to cause to yield, especially under pressure, torture, or the like: They broke him by the threat of blackmail.

to dismiss or reduce in rank.

to impair or weaken the power, effect, or intensity of: His arm broke the blow.

to train to obedience; tame: to break a horse.

to train away from a habit or practice (usually followed by of).

Electricity. to render (a circuit) incomplete; stop the flow of (a current).

Journalism.

to release (a news story) for publication or airing, as on television or radio, in print, or on the internet: The paper broke the scandal in its morning edition.
to continue (a story or article) on another page, especially when the page is not the following one.

Billiards, Pool. to cause (racked billiard balls) to scatter by striking with the cue ball.

Sports.

(of a baseball pitcher, cricket bowler, etc.) to hurl (a ball) in such a way as to cause it to change direction after leaving the hand: He broke a curve over the plate for a strike.
(in tennis and other racket games) to score frequently or win against (an opponent’s serve).

Slang. (of a story, image, etc.) to dominate (a digital media platform) with a sudden surge of interest or rapid, viral spread: This is all a publicity stunt they hope will break the internet.The celebrity feud-turned-romance broke Twitter with a marriage proposal.

Nautical. to unfurl (a flag) suddenly by an easily released knot.

to prove the falsity or show the lack of logic of: The FBI broke his alibi by proving he knew how to shoot a pistol.

to begin or initiate (a plan or campaign), especially with much publicity: They were going to break the sales campaign with a parade in April.

to open the breech or action of (a shotgun, rifle, or revolver), as by snapping open the hinge between the barrel and the butt.

verb (used without object), broke or (Archaic) brake; bro·ken or (Archaic) broke; break·ing.

to shatter, burst, or become broken; separate into parts or fragments, especially suddenly and violently: The glass broke on the floor.

to become suddenly discontinuous or interrupted; stop abruptly: She pulled too hard and the string broke.

to become detached, separated, or disassociated (usually followed by away, off, or from): The knob broke off in his hand.

to become inoperative or to malfunction, as through wear or damage: The television set broke this afternoon.

to begin suddenly or violently or change abruptly into something else: War broke over Europe.

to begin uttering a sound or series of sounds or to be uttered suddenly: She broke into song. When they entered, a cheer broke from the audience.

to express or start to express an emotion or mood: His face broke into a smile.

to free oneself or escape suddenly, as from restraint or dependency (often followed by away): He broke away from the arresting officer. She finally broke away from her parents and got an apartment of her own.

to run or dash toward something suddenly (usually followed by for): The pass receiver broke for the goal line.

to force a way (usually followed by in, into, or through): The hunters broke through the underbrush.

to burst or rupture: A blood vessel broke in his nose. The blister broke when he pricked it.

to interrupt or halt an activity (usually followed by in, into, forth, or from): Don’t break in on the conversation. Let’s break for lunch.

to appear or arrive suddenly (usually followed by in, into, or out): A deer broke into the clearing. A rash broke out on her arm.

to dawn: The day broke hot and sultry.

to begin violently and suddenly: The storm broke.

(of a storm, foul weather, etc.) to cease: The weather broke after a week, and we were able to sail for home.

to part the surface of water, as a jumping fish or surfacing submarine.

to give way or fail, as health, strength, or spirit; collapse: After years of hardship and worry, his health broke.

to yield or submit to pressure, torture, or the like: He broke under questioning.

(of the heart) to be overwhelmed with sorrow: Her heart broke when he told her that he no longer loved her.

(of the voice or a musical instrument) to change harshly from one register or pitch to another: After his voice broke, he could no longer sing soprano parts.

(of the voice) to cease, waver, or change tone abruptly, especially from emotional strain: His voice broke when he mentioned her name.

(of value or prices) to drop sharply and considerably.

to disperse or collapse by colliding with something: The waves broke on the shore.

(of a horse in a harness race) to fail to keep to a trot or pace, as by starting to gallop.

Biology. to mutate.

Linguistics. to undergo breaking.

Billiards, Pool. to make a break; take the first turn in a game.

Sports. (of a pitched or bowled ball, as in baseball or cricket) to change direction: The ball broke over the plate.

Horse Racing, Track. to leave the starting point: The horses broke fast from the gate.

Boxing. to step back or separate from a clinch: The fighters fell into a clinch and broke on the referee’s order.

Journalism. (of a news story) to become publicly known, published, or aired: On Friday news of his death broke on social media.

Horticulture. to produce flowers or leaves.

noun

an act or instance of breaking; disruption or separation of parts; fracture; rupture: Unfortunately for the guitarist, the break was in his right thumb.

an opening made by breaking; gap: The break in the wall had not been repaired.

a rush away from a place; an attempt to escape: a break for freedom.

a sudden dash or rush, as toward something: When the rain lessened, I made a break for home.

a suspension of or sudden rupture in friendly relations.

an interruption of continuity; departure from or rupture with: Abstract painters made a break with the traditions of the past.

an abrupt or marked change, as in sound or direction, or a brief pause: They noticed a curious break in his voice.

Informal.

an opportunity or stroke of fortune, especially a lucky one.
a chance to improve one’s lot, especially one unlooked for or undeserved.

the breaks, Informal. the way things happen; fate: Sorry to hear about your bad luck, but I guess those are the breaks.

a brief rest, as from work: The actors took a ten-minute break from rehearsal.

Radio, Television. a brief, scheduled interruption of a program or broadcasting period for the announcement of advertising or station identification.

Prosody. a pause or caesura.

Jazz. a solo passage, usually lasting from 2 to 12 bars, during which the rest of the instruments are silent.

Music. the point in the scale where the quality of voice of one register changes to that of another, as from chest to head.

a sharp and considerable drop in the prices of stock issues.

Electricity. an opening or discontinuity in a circuit.

the place, after a letter, where a word is or may be divided at the end of a line.

a collapse of health, strength, or spirit; breakdown.

Informal. a mistake, especially a social blunder: I’m just learning the game, so I may be expected to make some wild breaks.

Billiards, Pool.

the opening play, in which the cue ball is shot to scatter the balls.
a series of successful strokes; run.

Sports. a change in direction of a pitched or bowled ball, as in baseball or cricket.

Horse Racing, Track. the start of a race.

(in harness racing) an act or instance of a horse’s changing from a trot or pace into a gallop or other step.

Bowling. a failure to knock down all ten pins in a single frame.

Boxing. an act or instance of stepping back or separating from a clinch: a clean break.

any of several stages in the grinding of grain in which the bran is separated from the kernel.

Journalism. the point at the bottom of a column where a printed story is carried over to another column or page.

Nautical. the place at which a superstructure, deckhouse, or the like, rises from the main deck of a vessel.

breaks, Physical Geography. an area dissected by small ravines and gullies.

Mining. a fault or offset, as in a vein or bed of ore.

Verb Phrases

break away,

to leave or escape, especially suddenly or hurriedly.
to sever connections or allegiance, as to tradition or a political group.
to start prematurely: The horse broke away from the starting gate.

break back, Tennis. to win a game served by an opponent immediately after the opponent has done so against one’s own serve.

break down,

to become ineffective.
to lose control of oneself: He broke down and wept at the sad news.
to have a physical or mental collapse.
to cease to function: The car broke down.
to itemize: to break down a hotel bill into daily charges.
Chemistry. to separate (a compound) into its constituent molecules.
Electricity. (of an insulator) to fail, as when subjected to excessively high voltage, permitting a current to pass.
to decompose.
to analyze.
to classify.
to separate into constituent parts: to break down a beef carcass into basic cuts.

break in,

to enter by force or craft: Someone broke in and made off with all the furniture.
to train or instruct; initiate: The boss is breaking in a new assistant.
to begin to wear or use in order to make comfortable: These shoes haven’t been broken in.
to interrupt: He broke in with a ridiculous objection.
to run (new machinery) initially under reduced load and speed, until any stiffness of motion has departed and all parts are ready to operate under normal service conditions; run in; wear in.

break in on / upon to enter with force upon or accidentally interrupt; intrude upon: The visitor opened the wrong door and broke in on a private conference.

break into,

to interpose; interrupt: He broke into the conversation at a crucial moment.
to begin some activity.
to be admitted into; enter, as a business or profession: It is difficult to break into the theater.
to enter by force: They broke into the store and stole the safe.

break off,

to sever by breaking.
to stop suddenly; discontinue: to break off a conversation; to break off relations with one’s neighbors.

break out,

to begin abruptly; arise: An epidemic broke out.
Pathology. (of certain diseases) to appear in eruptions.
(of a person) to manifest a skin eruption.
to prepare for use: to break out the parachutes.
to take out of (storage, concealment, etc.) for consumption: to break out one’s best wine.
Nautical. to dislodge (the anchor) from the bottom.
to escape; flee: He spent three years in prison before he broke out.
to separate into categories or list specific items: to break out gift ideas according to price range; The report breaks out quarterly profits and losses.

break up,

to separate; scatter.
to put an end to; discontinue.
to divide or become divided into pieces.
to dissolve.
to disrupt; upset: Television commercials during a dramatic presentation break up the continuity of effect.
(of a personal relationship) to end: to break up a friendship; Their marriage broke up last year.
to end a personal relationship: Bob and Mary broke up last month.
to be or cause to be overcome with laughter: The comedian told several jokes that broke up the audience.

break with,

to sever relations with; separate from: to break with one’s family.
to depart from; repudiate: to break with tradition.

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Idioms about break

break a leg, (used to wish someone good luck before a performance, especially a play.)

break bulk, Nautical. to remove a cargo wholly or in part.

break camp, to pack up tents and equipment and resume a journey or march: They broke camp at dawn and proceeded toward the mountains.

break even, to finish a business transaction, period of gambling, series of games, etc., with no loss or gain: He played poker all night and broke even.

break ground,

to begin construction, especially of a building or group of buildings: to break ground for a new housing development.
Nautical. to free an anchor from the bottom; break out.

break it down, Australian Slang.

stop it; calm down.
(used as an exclamation of disbelief) that can’t be true!

break someone’s heart, to cause someone great disappointment or sorrow, as to disappoint in love: It breaks my heart to hear you are leaving me.

break service, Tennis. to win a game served by one’s opponent.

break sheer, Nautical. (of an anchored vessel) to drift into such a position as to risk fouling the anchor or anchor cable.Compare sheer² (def. 6).

break wind, to expel gas from the stomach and bowels through the anus.

give me a break, Informal. (used to express annoyance, disbelief, etc.): He didn’t show up again? Oh, give me a break!

Origin of break

First recorded before 900; Middle English breken, Old English brecan; cognate with Dutch breken, German brechen, Gothic brikan; akin to Latin frangere; see fragile

synonym study for break

1. Break, crush, shatter, smash mean to reduce to parts, violently or by force. Break means to divide by means of a blow, a collision, a pull, or the like: to break a chair, a leg, a strap. To crush is to subject to (usually heavy or violent) pressure so as to press out of shape or reduce to shapelessness or to small particles: to crush a beetle. To shatter is to break in such a way as to cause the pieces to fly in many directions: to shatter a light globe. To smash is to break noisily and suddenly into many pieces: to smash a glass.

OTHER WORDS FROM break

break·a·ble, adjectivebreak·a·ble·ness, nounbreak·a·bly, adverbbreak·less, adjective

non·break·a·ble, adjectivere·break, verb, re·broke, re·bro·ken, re·break·ing.un·break·a·ble, adjectiveun·break·a·ble·ness, nounun·break·a·bly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH break

brake, break

Words nearby break

breadsticks, breadstuff, breadth, breadthways, breadwinner, break, breakable, breakage, break a leg, break and entry, breakaway

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to break

crack, gap, hole, hiatus, intermission, interval, layoff, lull, pause, recess, respite, rest, suspension, time off, fight, trouble, advantage, chance, opening, opportunity

How to use break in a sentence

Coffee breaks, however, may be used for more than just coffee — if your husband promises to eat off-camera and adjust the room temperature quickly.
The break in play, though unplanned, gives the once-ailing Capitals a chance to reset.
Satellite images show that a section of a glacier broke off, but how that break relates to the subsequent floods is still unknown.
We may see a precipitation break for a few hours in the afternoon as highs hold only in the 30s.

Maryland let the game slip away during a 13-minute stretch spanning both halves during which the Terps made only 1 of 15 field goal attempts, including nine straight misses after the break.
This is the Mexico that U.S. college students would be wise to steer clear of on spring break.
I was already over forty, had hardly a nickel in my pocket and this was the biggest break in my life.
This sultry ballad about break-ups and make-ups in the City of Angels is haunting stuff.
Google itself has taken a break and put plans for mass production on hold.
She had to break the news to William that The Sun had the story.
Were you ever arrested, having in your custody another man’s cash, and would rather go to gaol, than break it?
If old Piegan Smith hadn’t been sampling the contents of that keg so industriously he would never have made a break.
General Houston had attacked them with three hundred of our people, but had not been able to break their ranks.
For good or ill, the torrent of rebellion was suffered to break loose, and it soon engulfed a continent.
Victor was the younger son and brother—a tete montee, with a temper which invited violence and a will which no ax could break.

British Dictionary definitions for break

verb breaks, breaking, broke or broken

to separate or become separated into two or more piecesthis cup is broken

to damage or become damaged so as to be inoperativemy radio is broken

to crack or become cracked without separating

to burst or cut the surface of (skin, etc)

to discontinue or become discontinuedthey broke for lunch; to break a journey

to disperse or become dispersedthe clouds broke

(tr) to fail to observe (an agreement, promise, law, etc)to break one’s word

(foll by with) to discontinue an association (with)

to disclose or be disclosedhe broke the news gently

(tr) to fracture (a bone) in (a limb, etc)

(tr) to divide (something complete or perfect)to break a set of books

to bring or come to an endthe summer weather broke at last

(tr) to bring to an end by or as if by forceto break a strike

(when intr , often foll by out) to escape (from)he broke jail; he broke out of jail

to weaken or overwhelm or be weakened or overwhelmed, as in spirit

(tr) to cut through or penetratea cry broke the silence

(tr) to improve on or surpassto break a record

(tr often foll by in) to accustom (a horse) to the bridle and saddle, to being ridden, etc

(tr often foll by of) to cause (a person) to give up (a habit)this cure will break you of smoking

(tr) to weaken the impact or force ofthis net will break his fall

(tr) to decipherto break a code

(tr) to lose the order ofto break ranks

(tr) to reduce to poverty or the state of bankruptcy

(when intr , foll by into) to obtain, give, or receive smaller units in exchange for; changeto break a pound note

(tr) mainly military to demote to a lower rank

(intr ; often foll by from or out of) to proceed suddenly

(intr) to come into beinglight broke over the mountains

(intr ; foll by into or out into)

to burst into song, laughter, etc
to change to a faster pace

(tr) to open with explosivesto break a safe

(intr) (of waves)

(often foll by against) to strike violently
to collapse into foam or surf

(intr) (esp of fish) to appear above the surface of the water

(intr) (of the amniotic fluid surrounding an unborn baby) to be released when the amniotic sac ruptures in the first stage of labourher waters have broken

(intr) informal, mainly US to turn out in a specified mannerthings are breaking well

(intr) (of prices, esp stock exchange quotations) to fall sharply

(intr) to make a sudden effort, as in running, horse racing, etc

(intr) cricket (of a ball) to change direction on bouncing

(tr) cricket (of a player) to knock down at least one bail from (a wicket)

(intr) billiards snooker to scatter the balls at the start of a game

(intr) horse racing to commence running in a racethey broke even

(intr) boxing wrestling (of two fighters) to separate from a clinch

(intr) music

(of the male voice) to undergo a change in register, quality, and range at puberty
(of the voice or some instruments) to undergo a change in tone, quality, etc, when changing registers

(intr) phonetics (of a vowel) to turn into a diphthong, esp as a development in the language

(tr) to open the breech of (certain firearms) by snapping the barrel away from the butt on its hinge

(tr) to interrupt the flow of current in (an electrical circuit)Compare make 1 (def. 27)

(intr) informal, mainly US to become successful; make a breakthrough

break bread

to eat a meal, esp with others
Christianity to administer or participate in Holy Communion

break camp to pack up equipment and leave a camp

break ground or break new ground to do something that has not been done before

to overwork or work very hard

break the back of to complete the greatest or hardest part of (a task)

break the bank to ruin financially or deplete the resources of a bank (as in gambling)

break the ice

to relieve shyness or reserve, esp between strangers
to be the first of a group to do something

break the mould to make a change that breaks an established habit, pattern, etc

break service tennis to win a game in which an opponent is serving

break wind to emit wind from the anus

noun

the act or result of breaking; fracture

a crack formed as the result of breaking

a brief respite or interval between two actionsa break from one’s toil

a sudden rush, esp to escapeto make a break for freedom

a breach in a relationshipshe has made a break from her family

any sudden interruption in a continuous action

British a short period between classes at schoolUS and Canadian equivalent: recess

informal a fortunate opportunity, esp to prove oneself

informal a piece of (good or bad) luck

(esp in a stock exchange) a sudden and substantial decline in prices

prosody a pause in a line of verse; caesura

billiards snooker

a series of successful shots during one turn
the points scored in such a series

billiards snooker

the opening shot with the cue ball that scatters the placed balls
the right to take this first shot

Also called: service break, break of serve tennis the act or instance of breaking an opponent’s service

one of the intervals in a sporting contest

horse racing the start of a racean even break

(in tenpin bowling) failure to knock down all the pins after the second attempt

jazz a short usually improvised solo passage
an instrumental passage in a pop song

a discontinuity in an electrical circuit

access to a radio channel by a citizens’ band operator

interjection

boxing wrestling a command by a referee for two opponents to separate

Word Origin for break

Old English brecan; related to Old Frisian breka, Gothic brikan, Old High German brehhan, Latin frangere Sanskrit bhráj bursting forth

Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with break

In addition to the idioms beginning with break

break a leg
break away
break bread
break camp
break cover
break down
break even
break ground
break in
break into
break it up
break loose
break of day
break off
break one
break one’s ass
break one’s back
break one’s balls
break one’s fall
break one’s neck
break one’s word
break out
break out of
break ranks
break someone
break someone of something
break someone’s heart
break someone’s serve
break someone up
break the back of
break the bank
break the ice
break the news
break the record
break through
break up
break wind
break with

also see:

get a break
give someone a break
make a break for it
make or break
never give a sucker an even break
take a break
tough break

Also see underbroke.

Источник

перерыв, разрыв, прорыв, пауза, пролом, обрыв, нарушать, ломаться, ломать, вырваться

существительное ↓

- пролом; разрыв; отверстие, щель; брешь; трещина

break in the pipe-line — разрыв трубопровода, пробоина в трубопроводе

- проламывание; пробивание
- прорыв

long [short] pass break — быстрый прорыв длинным [коротким] пасом (баскетбол)

- перерыв; пауза; перемена (в школе)

a break in the song — пауза в песне или пении
without a break — беспрерывно
a break for commercial — перерыв в программе для передачи рекламы
break for P.T., the P.T. break — физкультпауза, пятиминутка (на производстве)
there was a break in the conversation — разговор прервался, все вдруг замолчали

- многоточие или другой знак, указывающий на внезапную паузу

ещё 24 варианта

глагол ↓

- ломать

to break a rod [a stick] — сломать прут [палку]
to break in two — разломить, сломать пополам
to break one’s leg [one’s arm, one’s neck] — сломать ногу [руку, шею]
to break on the wheel — ист. колесовать

- ломаться

the bench broke — скамейка сломалась
the branch bent but did not break — ветка согнулась, но не сломалась

- взламывать

to break a lock [a door] — взломать замок [дверь]

- разбивать

to break a window [dishes] — разбить окно [посуду]
to break (in) to pieces /asunder/ — разбить на куски
to break to atoms — разбить вдребезги
to break up an attack — расстроить атаку (противника)

- разбиваться

the vase broke — ваза разбилась
the ship broke up on the rocks — корабль разбился о скалы
glass breaks easily — стекло легко бьётся
my heart is breaking — моё сердце разрывается

ещё 48 вариантов

Мои примеры

Словосочетания

their preparedness to break the law — их готовность нарушать закон
before a woman gives birth her waters break — перед родами у женщины отходят воды
to break one’s bidding — нарушить чей-л. приказ
to break / fracture a bone — сломать кость
boxers break — боксёры прекращают бой
to break ranks — нарушить ряды
to break into song — внезапно начать петь
to break forth into tears — расплакаться
to break for cover — рвануть в убежище
to break the sound barrier — преодолеть звуковой барьер
to break a racial barrier — преодолеть расовый барьер
to break through security lines — прорваться сквозь оборонительные линии

Примеры с переводом

They broke for lunch.

Они сделали перерыв на обед.

I hate to break my promise.

Терпеть не могу нарушать обещания.

I broke my watch.

Я сломал свои часы.

The bank broke.

Банк разорился.

We work without a break.

Мы работаем без перерыва.

A cry broke from his lips.

С его уст сорвался крик.

A scream broke the silence.

Тишину нарушил вопль.

ещё 23 примера свернуть

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

…couldn’t find anyone to step in for me so that I could take a break from my caregiving duties…

…taking a cookie break while studying is one of the most efficacious ways of rejuvenating the mind that I have ever discovered…

Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.

Фразовые глаголы

break away — вырваться, отрывать, отрываться, отделиться, покончить, срываться, отпасть
break back — внезапно повернуть назад, сломать позвоночник, сломить сопротивление
break down — ломаться, ломать, разрушаться, разрушать, распадаться, сломить, разбивать
break in — прерывать, врываться, взламывать, вламываться, разнашивать, выламывать, объезжать
break off — обламывать, обламываться, отломить, отломиться, обрывать, отламывать, отламываться
break out — разразиться, вспыхивать, выламывать, бежать, грянуть, появляться, убегать
break through — прорвать, прорваться, прошибать, проделывать
break up — разбивать, разбиваться, разойтись, расходиться, разломать, расформировывать

Возможные однокоренные слова

breakable — хрупкий, ломкий
breakage — поломка, бой, измельчение, ломка, дробление, авария, обрывность нитей
breaker — выключатель, прерыватель, нарушитель, дробилка, брекер, бурун, взломщик, дробильщик
breaking — поломка, разрыв, ломка, дробление, прерывание, размыкание, измельчение, начало
inbreak — вторжение
breaky — носатый, имеющий клюв или отличающийся от других его наличием, с клювом

Формы слова

verb
I/you/we/they: break
he/she/it: breaks
ing ф. (present participle): breaking
2-я ф. (past tense): broke
3-я ф. (past participle): broken

noun
ед. ч.(singular): break
мн. ч.(plural): breaks

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[edit]

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French[edit]

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