break has definitions from the fields of sport,tennis,geology,medicine,linguistics,boxing,dance,military,law,criminal law
1
[ verb ] terminate

Synonyms

interrupt

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 .

Related terms

end end cut_short freeze

2
[ verb ] become separated into pieces or fragments

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 .

3
[ 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 .

Related terms

damage fail breakage

4
[ 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 .

5
[ verb ] ruin completely

Synonyms

bust

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 .

6
[ verb ] act in disregard of laws and rules

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 .

7
[ 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

disperse

8
[ verb ] force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up

Synonyms

burst erupt

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

express_emotion

9
[ verb ] prevent completion

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 .

10
[ verb ] move away or escape suddenly

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

escape

11
[ verb ] make submissive, obedient, or useful, as of wild animals or new items

Synonyms

break_in

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

tame domesticate

12
[ noun ] some abrupt occurrence that interrupts

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 .

13
[ verb ] (criminal law) enter someone's property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act

Synonyms

break_in

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

trespass housebreaking

14
[ 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 .

15
[ verb ] surpass in excellence

Synonyms

better

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 .

Related terms

surpass better

16
[ noun ] an unexpected piece of good luck

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

accident

17
[ verb ] come into being

Examples

"light broke over the horizon" "Voices broke in the air"

Related terms

become

18
[ 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 ?

19
[ verb ] fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns

Synonyms

violate go_against

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 .

20
[ noun ] the act of breaking something

Synonyms

breaking breakage

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 '' .

21
[ 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 .

Related terms

change break_in

22
[ noun ] (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other

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 .

23
[ verb ] curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves

Examples

"The surf broke"

Used in print

(Frank Getlein and Harold C. Gardiner, S.J., Movies,...)

a train rushes straight at the audience , or a great wave threatens to break over the seats .

Related terms

collapse surf

24
[ verb ] interrupt a continued activity

Synonyms

break_away

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

separate

25
[ verb ] lessen in force or effect

Examples

"soften a shock" "break a fall"

Used in print

(Richard Ferber, Bitter Valley....)

She came_down against him , and he tried to break her fall .

Related terms

deaden damp deafen weakener

26
[ noun ] a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)

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

separation sever

27
[ 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

pause spring_break pause

28
[ verb ] (military) make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing (military usage)

Examples

"The ranks broke"

Related terms

flee military

29
[ 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"

30
[ 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"

31
[ 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

switch

32
[ verb ] cause the failure or ruin of

Examples

"His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage" "This play will either make or break the playwright"

Related terms

make ruin

33
[ verb ] find the solution or key to

Examples

"break the code"

Related terms

solve

34
[ verb ] diminish or discontinue abruptly

Examples

"The patient's fever broke last night"

Related terms

decrease

35
[ verb ] happen or take place

Examples

"Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months" (informal)

36
[ verb ] (linguistics) undergo breaking

Examples

"The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages"

Related terms

diphthongize

37
[ verb ] find a flaw in

Examples

"break an alibi" "break down a proof"

Related terms

destroy

38
[ verb ] interrupt the flow of current in

Examples

"break a circuit"

Related terms

interrupt circuit_breaker

39
[ verb ] cease an action temporarily

Synonyms

pause intermit

Examples

"We pause for station identification" "let's break for lunch"

40
[ verb ] fall sharply

Examples

"stock prices broke"

Related terms

decrease

41
[ verb ] fracture a bone of

Synonyms

fracture

Examples

: "I broke my foot while playing hockey"

Related terms

injure fracture fracture

42
[ 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

weaken

43
[ verb ] pierce or penetrate

Examples

"The blade broke her skin"

Related terms

penetrate

44
[ verb ] be released or become known; of news

Synonyms

get_around get_out

Examples

"News of her death broke in the morning"

Related terms

leak disclose

45
[ verb ] become punctured or penetrated

Examples

: "The skin broke"

46
[ verb ] pierce the surface of

Examples

"The fish broke the water"

Related terms

penetrate pierce

47
[ verb ] of the male voice in puberty

Examples

"his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir"

Related terms

change_state

48
[ verb ] go to pieces

Examples

"The lawn mower finally broke" "The gears wore out" "The old chair finally fell apart completely"

49
[ verb ] break a piece from a whole

Synonyms

snap_off break_off

Examples

"break a branch from a tree"

Related terms

detach breakage

50
[ noun ] the occurrence of breaking

Examples

"the break in the dam threatened the valley"

Related terms

separation snap

51
[ noun ] an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity

Examples

"it was presented without commercial breaks"

52
[ noun ] (sport) any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare

Synonyms

open_frame

Examples

"the break in the eighth frame cost him the match"

Related terms

score

53
[ verb ] destroy the completeness of a set of related items

Synonyms

break_up

Examples

"The book dealer would not break the set"

Related terms

change

54
[ verb ] (sport) make the opening shot that scatters the balls, in billiards or pool

Related terms

shoot billiards

55
[ verb ] (boxing) separate from a clinch, in boxing

Examples

"The referee broke the boxers"

Related terms

separate

56
[ verb ] exchange for smaller units of money

Examples

"I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy"

Related terms

change

57
[ verb ] (dance) do a break dance

Examples

"Kids were break-dancing at the street corner"

Related terms

dance break_dancing

58
[ verb ] happen, as of an event

Synonyms

recrudesce develop

Examples

"Report the news as it develops" "These political movements recrudesce from time to time"

59
[ verb ] become fractured; break or crack on the surface only

Synonyms

crack check

Examples

"The glass cracked when it was heated"

Related terms

change crack check crack fracture

60
[ noun ] (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving

Synonyms

break_of_serve

Examples

"he was up two breaks in the second set"

Related terms

score tennis

61
[ verb ] emerge from the surface, as of fish in water

Examples

"The whales broke"

Related terms

appear

62
[ 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"

63
[ verb ] stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments

Synonyms

hold_on stop

Examples

"Hold on a moment!" "We broke at noon"

Related terms

interrupt arrest

64
[ verb ] divide into pieces, as by bending or cutting

Synonyms

break_away

Examples

"break the loaf of bread" "break the crackers"

Related terms

divide separate pause

65
[ noun ] (medicine) breaking of hard tissue such as bone

Synonyms

fracture

Examples

"it was a nasty fracture" "the break seems to have been caused by a fall"

66
[ verb ] (law) invalidate by judicial action

Examples

"The will was broken"

Related terms

invalidate

67
[ verb ] change directions suddenly

Related terms

switch

68
[ verb ] assign to a lower position; reduce in rank

Examples

"She was demoted because she always speaks up" "He was broken down to Sargeant"

69
[ verb ] reduce to bankruptcy

Synonyms

bankrupt smash ruin

Examples

"My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!" "The slump in the financial markets smashed him"

Related terms

impoverish bankruptcy

70
[ noun ] a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
71
[ noun ] (sport) the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool

Related terms

stroke pool billiards

72
[ verb ] come forth or begin from a state of latency

Examples

"The first winter storm broke over New York"

Related terms

come_forth

73
[ noun ] (sport) a sudden dash

Examples

"he made a break for the open door"

Related terms

dash fast_break fastbreak

74
[ verb ] give up

Examples

: "break cigarette smoking"

Related terms

discontinue

75
[ verb ] cause to give up a habit

Examples

"She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes"

76
[ verb ] vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity

Examples

"The flat plain was broken by sharply mesas"

Related terms

change interruption

77
[ verb ] come to an end

Examples

"The heat wave finally broke yesterday"

Related terms

terminate end

78
[ noun ] an escape from jail

Examples

"the breakout was carefully planned"

Related terms

escape

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