break
has definitions from the fields of sport,tennis,geology,medicine,linguistics,boxing,dance,military,law,criminal law
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[ verb ] terminate
Synonyms Examples "She interrupted her pregnancy" "break a lucky streak" "break the cycle of poverty" Used in print (The Sun, [Baltimore],...)If the Orioles are to break their losing_streak within the next two days , it will have to be at_the_expense_of the American_League champion New_York Yankees , who come in here tomorrow for a night_game and a single test Sunday afternoon . (Schubert Ogden, Christ Without Myth....)In affirming this we have already taken the decisive step in breaking the deadlock into which Bultmann 's attempt to formulate such a theology has led . (E. Gellhorn, "Prolegomena to a theory of the emotions"...)This tendency can be broken either by restoring hypothalamic excitability directly or via cortico-hypothalamic pathways . (E. Lucas Myers, "The Vindication of Dr. Nestor,"...)The dawn progressed and it seemed that the doctor would never be done_with his ministrations when quite abruptly something broke his revery . (Octavia Waldo, A Cup of the Sun....)To them he could have been the broken bell in the church_tower which rang before and after Mass , and at noon , and at six each evening - its tone , repetitive , monotonous , never breaking the boredom of the streets . |
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[ verb ] become separated into pieces or fragments
Synonyms Examples "The figurine broke" "The freshly baked loaf fell apart" Used in print (The Dallas Morning News,...)He broke that boy ( Air_Force fullback Nick_Arshinkoff ) in two and knocked him loose from the football '' . (The Providence Journal...)The company which performed the Pulitzer_Prize musical here last night and will repeat it twice today is full of bounce , the politicians are in fine voice , the chorines evoke happy memories , and the Little_Flower rides to break a lance again . (Clifford H. Pope, The Giant Snakes....)The argument against this last approach is comparable_to that which rejects stories about hoop_snakes , about snakes that break themselves into many pieces and join up again , or even of ghosts that chase people out of graveyards ; the mere piling_up of testimony does not prove , to the scientific mind , the existence of hoop_snakes , joint_snakes , or ghosts . |
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[ verb ] render inoperable or ineffective
Examples "You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!" Used in print (The Dallas Morning News,...)End Gene_Raesz , who broke a hand in the Owl 's game with LSU , was back working_out with Rice_Monday , and John_Nichols , sophomore guard , moved_back into action after a week 's idleness with an ankle injury . (LeRoy Fothergill, "Biological Warfare", in Peter...)It must be remembered , however , that there are many agents for which there is no solid immunity and a partial or low-grade immunity may be broken by an appropriate dose of agent . (Jim Berry Pearson, The Maxwell Land Grant....)Not a bullet touched Cook who was nearer the ambush , but one hit Russell in the leg and another broke his arm , passing_on through his body . |
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[ verb ] destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments
Examples "He broke the glass plate" "She broke the match" Used in print (John Harnsberger and Robert P. Wilkins,...)Within a_few years the Scots , engaged in breaking the thick sod and stirring the rich soil of the valley , were joined by a group called Meurons . (James Bryant Conant, Slums and Suburbs...)Hardly_a window has been broken since Dunbar first was opened ( and vandalism in schools is a major problem in many slum_areas ) . (Helen Hooven Santmyer, "There Were Fences"...)Squatting on our haunches beside the flat stone we broke them on , we were safe behind the high closed gates at the end of the drive : safe from interruption and the observation and possible amusement of the passers-by . (Ralph B. Long. The Sentence and Its Parts: A...)is Bill 's broken a chair , dominant stress will usually be on the complement a chair . From the point_of_view of syntactic analysis the head word in the statement is the predicator has broken , and from the point_of_view of meaning it would seem that the trouble centers in the breaking ; but dominant stress will be assigned to broken only in rather exceptional versions of the sentence . |
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[ verb ] ruin completely
Synonyms Examples "He busted my radio!" Used in print (Jim Berry Pearson, The Maxwell Land Grant....)When they were refused entrance to his brother 's house nearby , they smashed down the door , broke the window , and threw lighted clothes wet with kerosene into the room . Related terms repair destroy break_down bust_up sever analyze disassemble disassemble chip breakage buster |
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[ verb ] act in disregard of laws and rules
Synonyms Examples "offend all laws of humanity" "violate the basic laws or human civilization" "break a law" Used in print (Glayds H. Barr, The Master of Geneva....)Before them stalked the beadle , proclaiming as he went , `` Thus the Council deals with those who break its laws - adulterers , thieves , murderers , and lewd persons . Related terms disrespect sin trespass sin conflict trespass misdemeanor breach wrongdoer evildoing |
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[ verb ] scatter or part
Examples "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour" Used in print (Howard Fast, April Morning....)While this was being discussed , we saw the militia to the west of us fanning_out and breaking into little clusters of two and three men as they approached the road . That settled it , and we broke into parties of two and three . Related terms |
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[ verb ] force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up
Examples "break into tears" "erupt in anger" Used in print (Chester G. Starr, The Origins of Greek Civili...)Greek civilization was swirling toward its great revolution , in which the developed qualities of the Hellenic outlook were suddenly to break forth . Related terms |
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[ verb ] prevent completion
Synonyms Examples "stop the project" "break the silence" Used in print (Dan McLachlan, Jr., "Communication Networks and...)For the occasion on which everyone already knows everyone else and the host wishes them to meet one or a_few honored newcomers , then the `` open_house '' system is advantageous because the honored guests are fixed connective points and the drifting guests make and break connections at the door . |
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[ verb ] move away or escape suddenly
Synonyms Examples "The horses broke from the stable" "Three inmates broke jail" "Nobody can break out--this prison is high security" Used in print (Bell I. Wiley, "Home Letters of Johnny Reb and Billy...)We got to one house where there were five secessionist they brok + run and Arch holored_out to shoot the ornery suns_of_biches and we all let_go at them . Related terms |
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[ verb ] make submissive, obedient, or useful, as of wild animals or new items
Synonyms Examples : "The horse was tough to break" used metaphorically for people Used in print (The Atlanta Constitution...)If we break the minister to our bit , we are buying back our own sins . If he won n't break , we add to the stress he bears . (Clifford Irving, The Valley....)It looked as Gavin had first seen it years ago , on those nights when he slept alone by his campfire and waked suddenly to the hoot of an owl or the rustle of a blade of grass in the moon 's wind - a savage land , untenanted and brooding , too strong to be broken by the will of men . Related terms |
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[ noun ] some abrupt occurrence that interrupts
Synonyms Examples "the telephone is an annoying interruption" "there was a break in the action when a player was hurt" Used in print (High Fidelity, 11:10...)There is a break in continuity just before the fourth variation in the `` Forellen '' movement , and I suspect that this is_due to imperfect splicing between sides of the original SPs . (Nathan Rapport, ""I've Been Here before!"...)But , in denying any physical reality for this dream , how could the brain possibly compose that realistic , vividly visual continuity uninterrupted by misty fadeout , violent break or sudden substitution ? (Robert A. Futterman, The Future of Our Cities....)When all has been said , however , the big branch store remains a major break with history in the development of American retailing . Related terms |
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[ verb ] (criminal law) enter someone's property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act
Synonyms Examples "Someone broke in while I was on vacation" "They broke into my car and stole my radio!" Used in print (Jim Berry Pearson, The Maxwell Land Grant....)During the following week , six tons of hay belonging to one rancher were burned ; some buildings , farm tools , two horses , plows , and hay owned by Bonito_Lavato , a friendly interpreter for the company , and Pedro_Chavez ' hay were stolen or destroyed ; and a store was broken into and robbed . Related terms |
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[ verb ] make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret
Examples "The auction house would not disclose the price" "She won't reveal her age" "bring out the truth" "he broke the news to her" Used in print (E. Lucas Myers, "The Vindication of Dr. Nestor,"...)`` Chickens have short memories '' , the doctor remarked , `` that 's why they are better company than most people I know '' , and he went_on to break some important news to Alex . |
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[ verb ] surpass in excellence
Synonyms Examples "She bettered her own record" "break a record" Used in print (The Sun, [Baltimore],...)The crowd at the twenty-first annual K._of_C._Games , final indoor meet of the season , got a thrill a_few minutes earlier when a slender , bespectacled woman broke the one week old world_record in the half-mile run . (St. Louis Post-Dispatch,...)The opinion continues here that with a 162 - game schedule , pitching spread thin through a 10 - team league and a most inviting target in Los_Angeles ' Wrigley_Field_Jr. , Mantle just might break the most glamorous record on the books , Babe_Ruth 's 60 homers of 1927 . |
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[ noun ] an unexpected piece of good luck
Synonyms Examples "he finally got his big break" Used in print (The Dallas Morning News,...)The Texans made themselves a comforting break on the opening kickoff when Denver 's Al_Carmichael was jarred loose from the ball when Dave_Grayson , the speedy halfback , hit him and Guard Al_Reynolds claimed it for Dallas . Related terms |
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[ verb ] come into being
Examples "light broke over the horizon" "Voices broke in the air" Related terms |
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[ verb ] stop operating or functioning
Examples "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" Used in print (Tristram Coffin, Not to the Swift....)Where will you break ? |
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[ verb ] fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns
Synonyms Examples "He violated the agreement to stay away from his ex-wife" "You are breaking the law!" Used in print (Frank Getlein and Harold C. Gardiner, S.J., Movies,...)Each scene is shot straight through , as had been the universal custom , from a camera fixed in a single position , but in the outdoor scenes , especially in the capture and destruction of the outlaws , Porter 's camera position breaks , necessarily , with the camera position standard until then , which had been , roughly , that of a spectator in a center orchestra seat at a play . Related terms |
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[ noun ] the act of breaking something
Examples "the breakage was unavoidable" Used in print (James Thurber, "The Future, If Any, of Comedy,"...)The sentimental pure heart of Galahad is gone with the knightly years , but I still believe_in the heart of the George_Meredith character that was not made of the stuff that breaks '' . Related terms |
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[ verb ] be broken in
Examples "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress" Used in print (The Horseman and Fair World, 84:46...)After well broken and equipped with 12 oz shoes on behind , bare-footed in_front , she would trot a real storm with the master , Delvin , driving . |
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[ noun ] (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
Synonyms Examples "they built it right over a geological fault" Used in print (L. Don Leet and Florence J. Leet, editors, The World of...)Sometimes this is accompanied by visible shifts of the ground surface ; often the shifts cannot be seen , but they are there ; and everywhere can be found scars of earlier breaks once deeply buried . |
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[ verb ] interrupt a continued activity
Synonyms Examples "She had broken with the traditional patterns" Used in print (Dan McLachlan, Jr., "Communication Networks and...)For the occasion on which everyone already knows everyone else and the host wishes them to meet one or a_few honored newcomers , then the `` open_house '' system is advantageous because the honored guests are fixed connective points and the drifting guests make and break connections at the door . Related terms |
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[ noun ] a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)
Synonyms Examples "they hoped to avoid a break in relations" Used in print (James Bryant Conant, Slums and Suburbs...)If the student drops_out of high_school , the break with the school is even more complete . Related terms |
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[ noun ] a pause from doing something (as work)
Examples "we took a 10-minute break" "he took time out to recuperate" Used in print ([Anonymous,] "The Attack on Employee Services"...)Vending_machines can alleviate the long hike to the cafeteria during the break with resulting waste of production time . Related terms |
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[ verb ] discontinue an association or relation; go different ways
Examples "The business partners broke over a tax question" "The couple separated after 25 years of marriage" "My friend and I split up" |
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[ verb ] change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another
Examples "Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children" Related terms |
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[ verb ] diminish or discontinue abruptly
Examples "The patient's fever broke last night" Related terms |
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[ verb ] happen or take place
Examples "Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months" (informal) Related terms |
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[ verb ] (linguistics) undergo breaking
Examples "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages" Related terms |
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[ verb ] interrupt the flow of current in
Examples "break a circuit" Related terms |
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[ verb ] weaken or destroy in spirit or body
Examples "His resistance was broken" "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death" Related terms |
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[ verb ] be released or become known; of news
Synonyms Examples "News of her death broke in the morning" |
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[ verb ] become punctured or penetrated
Examples : "The skin broke" |
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[ verb ] of the male voice in puberty
Examples "his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir" Related terms |
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[ noun ] the occurrence of breaking
Examples "the break in the dam threatened the valley" Related terms |
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[ noun ] an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity
Synonyms Examples "it was presented without commercial breaks" Related terms delay interjection cut-in breaking_off cut-in heckling interrupt interrupt |
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[ noun ] (sport) any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare
Synonyms Examples "the break in the eighth frame cost him the match" Related terms |
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[ verb ] (boxing) separate from a clinch, in boxing
Examples "The referee broke the boxers" Related terms |
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[ verb ] exchange for smaller units of money
Examples "I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy" Related terms |
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[ verb ] (dance) do a break dance
Synonyms Examples "Kids were break-dancing at the street corner" Related terms |
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[ verb ] happen, as of an event
Synonyms Examples "Report the news as it develops" "These political movements recrudesce from time to time" Related terms |
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[ noun ] (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving
Synonyms Examples "he was up two breaks in the second set" |
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[ verb ] emerge from the surface, as of fish in water
Examples "The whales broke" Related terms |
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[ verb ] break down, literally or metaphorically
Examples "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" |
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[ verb ] divide into pieces, as by bending or cutting
Synonyms Examples "break the loaf of bread" "break the crackers" |
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[ noun ] (medicine) breaking of hard tissue such as bone
Synonyms Examples "it was a nasty fracture" "the break seems to have been caused by a fall" |
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[ verb ] (law) invalidate by judicial action
Examples "The will was broken" Related terms |
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[ verb ] change directions suddenly
Related terms |
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[ verb ] assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
Synonyms Examples "She was demoted because she always speaks up" "He was broken down to Sargeant" Related terms |
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[ verb ] reduce to bankruptcy
Examples "My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!" "The slump in the financial markets smashed him" Related terms |
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[ noun ] a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
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[ verb ] come forth or begin from a state of latency
Examples "The first winter storm broke over New York" Related terms |
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[ noun ] (sport) a sudden dash
Examples "he made a break for the open door" Related terms |
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[ verb ] cause to give up a habit
Examples "She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes" |
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[ verb ] vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity
Examples "The flat plain was broken by sharply mesas" Related terms |
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[ noun ] an escape from jail
Synonyms Examples "the breakout was carefully planned" Related terms |
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