# break

Pronunciation: US say "BRAYK" /bɹeɪk/; UK

## Verb

1. To separate or crack something into two or more pieces, or to come apart this way, as a plate, an egg, or a bone does.
   - Simple: To make something crack or come apart into pieces, like a glass or a bone, or to crack this way.
   - _A sudden jolt can break the ceramic tiles._
   - _The dam will break if the water rises much higher._
3. To interrupt something or destroy its continuity, or to dissolve it or bring it to an end.
   - Simple: To stop something that was going on, or to bring it to an end.
   - _Nobody wanted to be the first to break the silence after the verdict._
   - _Monday's loss broke the team's twelve-game winning streak._
4. To stop functioning properly, or to cause something to stop working altogether.
   - Simple: To stop working, or to make something stop working.
   - _A power surge can break sensitive electronics._
   - _The printer broke right before the deadline._
5. To violate or fail to adhere to a rule, law, agreement, or promise.
   - Simple: To not obey a rule, law, or promise.
   - _Drivers who break the speed limit face heavy fines._
   - _The company broke the terms of the contract._
6. To overcome or remove a barrier so it no longer blocks passage.
   - Simple: To force a barrier open so it no longer blocks the way.
   - _The army moved to break the blockade around the city._
   - _Protesters broke the barricade and surged forward._
7. To surpass a specific number, or to do better than an existing record, setting a new one.
   - Simple: To do better than a record or number that was set before.
   - _He broke the national record in the hundred meters._
   - _If the trend continues, sales will break the million mark by December._
9. To burst forth and come into view; to make its way through.
   - Simple: To suddenly appear or come into view.
   - _Cheers break from the crowd as the runners cross the line._
   - _A smile broke across her face when she heard the news._
10. To change suddenly into a new state, action, or pace, as in 'break into a run' or 'break free'.
   - Simple: To suddenly start doing something different or get into a new state, like breaking into a run.
   - _The second her dad walks through the door, the baby will break into a huge grin._
   - _After an hour of slow, careful walking, the hikers spotted the lodge and broke into a jog._
11. To be crushed by sorrow or grief, or overwhelmed by it.
   - Simple: To be crushed by very great sadness or grief.
   - _He held together through the funeral, but that night he finally broke._
   - _Parents who have lost a child often feel their hearts break all over again on birthdays._
12. To split something, often money, into smaller parts, as when a large bill is changed for smaller ones.
   - Simple: To change something, often money, into smaller parts, like a big bill into smaller bills.
   - _Sorry, I can't break a twenty; the register is almost empty._
   - _The distributor breaks bulk shipments into smaller lots for neighborhood stores._
13. To disclose or make known an item of news, or introduce a new act, for the first time.
   - Simple: To make news known for the first time, or to help a new band or singer become known.
   - _The network broke the story hours before its rivals._
   - _Bloggers often break political news before traditional outlets._
15. To destroy the arrangement of something; to throw it into disorder or pierce through it.
   - Simple: To throw something into disorder by scattering or piercing its arrangement.
   - _The sudden attack broke the orderly formation._
   - _A single charge can break the enemy's lines and scatter them._
16. To cause a person or animal to lose their spirit or will, crushing their resolve.
   - Simple: To make a person or animal lose all hope or courage.
   - _The relentless interrogation finally broke the prisoner._
   - _Cruelty can break even the most loyal animal._
17. To ruin someone financially; to leave them without money.
   - Simple: To make someone lose all their money.
   - _A long strike can break even a profitable business._
   - _The gambling debts finally broke the once-wealthy family._
22. To stop one's work or occupation temporarily in order to rest.
   - Simple: To stop work for a short time in order to rest.
   - _The crew breaks at noon every day._
   - _We usually break for coffee around three._
25. Of the day, the dawn or the morning: to arrive.
   - Simple: Of the day or morning, to come and begin.
   - _We set out on the trail just as dawn broke over the ridge._
   - _The fishermen sit on the dock with their coffee and wait for day to break._
26. Of a wave, to curl over and collapse into foam, especially on reaching shallow water near the shore.
   - Simple: Of a wave, to curl over and fall into white foam, especially when it reaches shallow water.
   - _We sat on the dunes and watched the waves break along the sand._
   - _When a big swell arrives, the outer reef breaks all afternoon._
27. To interrupt a fall by placing something in the way so that the falling object does not immediately hit what lies beneath.
   - Simple: To stop or slow a fall so something does not hit the ground hard.
   - _A pile of straw broke the stuntman's fall._
   - _She grabbed the railing to break her fall down the stairs._
28. To pull away, or try to, and make a run for a place.
   - Simple: To suddenly run toward a place to get away.
   - _When the guard looked away, the prisoners broke for the trees._
   - _Deer will break for cover at the first bark of a dog._
30. Of a settled spell of weather, a fever, or a similar lasting condition, to come to an end, often suddenly.
   - Simple: Of a long spell of hot, cold, or dry weather, or a fever, to end.
   - _The fever broke during the night._
   - _Long dry spells eventually break when the rains arrive._
32. To open a safe or strongbox without the correct key, combination, or code.
   - Simple: To open a safe without the right key or code.
   - _Skilled crooks can break a safe without leaving a scratch._
   - _Without the combination, the gang needed nearly two hours to break the jeweler's safe._
33. Of the voice, to become deeper as a boy reaches puberty.
   - Simple: Of a boy's voice, to become lower and deeper as he grows up.
   - _Most boys' voices break somewhere between twelve and fourteen._
   - _He was the star soprano in the church choir until his voice broke the summer he turned thirteen._
34. Of a voice, to crack or change in quality under emotion or strain, generally rising in men and sometimes falling in women.
   - Simple: Of a voice, to crack or suddenly sound different because of strong feelings or strain.
   - _His voice broke as he thanked the nurses who had cared for his wife._
   - _Singers who push too hard on the top notes can feel their voices break mid-phrase._
35. In tennis, to win a game as the receiver, against an opponent who is serving.
   - Simple: In tennis, to win a game when the other player is serving.
   - _The young qualifier broke the top seed twice in the second set._
   - _Neither player managed to break serve in a tense opening set._
37. To train a young or untamed animal, especially a horse, to accept a rider or harness or to do other work.
   - Simple: To train a young or wild animal, especially a horse, to carry a rider, pull loads or do other work.
   - _It took the rancher most of the summer to break the young mustang._
   - _On the old farm, oxen were broken to the yoke while they were still calves._
38. To make a game too easy, by changing its rules or by exploiting gaps or flaws in them, so that one player gets an unfair edge. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To make a game too easy by changing its rules or using a weak spot in them.
   - _One overpowered card in the new expansion completely broke the game._
   - _If players can stack that bonus forever, it will break the whole ranked mode._
39. In billiards, pool or snooker, to take the opening shot, scattering the balls from their neat starting arrangement.
   - Simple: In pool and similar games, to take the first shot and hit the group of balls apart.
   - _Whoever wins the coin toss gets to break._
   - _She broke so hard that two balls dropped into the corner pockets._
43. To figure out what a code, cipher, or encrypted message says, or to solve a criminal case.
   - Simple: To find out what a secret code means, or to find out who did a crime.
   - _Mathematicians on the team spent months trying to break the new cipher._
   - _A single fingerprint on the window helped detectives break the case._
44. Of a storm, to start, or else to pass and come to an end.
   - Simple: To start or to finish, used about a storm.
   - _Hikers were told to get off the ridge before the storm could break._
   - _After three days of rain the storm finally broke, leaving a clear blue sky._
45. Of a sauce or other emulsion, to lose its blended state and separate into its component liquids.
   - Simple: To separate back into the different liquids it was made of, used about a sauce or similar mixture.
   - _Whisk the butter in slowly, or the hollandaise may break and turn greasy._
   - _Left standing for a week, the emulsion broke and a clear layer of oil rose to the top._

## Noun

2. A short pause from work, study, or another activity, or an interval between parts of a show, broadcast, or game.
   - Simple: A short rest from work or school, or a pause in the middle of a show, game, or TV program.
   - _The team took a fifteen-minute break before the next meeting._
   - _He rarely takes a break during his long shifts._
8. A holiday: a short trip away from one's usual routine, or a period of days or weeks when schools and colleges are closed, as in a weekend break or spring break.
   - Simple: A short holiday, or a time of days or weeks when schools and colleges have no classes.
   - _The university's reading break falls in the middle of the semester._
   - _Many families travel during the children's spring break._
14. An interruption in something that was continuing, or a clear departure from what came before, as in a break in the conversation or a break with tradition.
   - Simple: A stop in something that was going on, or a clear change from the way things were before.
   - _A break in the conversation let everyone catch their breath._
   - _Historians noted a sharp break with tradition in his later work._
18. A stroke of good luck or an opening that lets someone get ahead, especially in a career. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A lucky chance that helps someone do well, especially in their job.
   - _The band got its first real break when a popular DJ played their song on the radio._
   - _Young reporters wait years for the kind of breaks she got in her first month._
19. A cut in the amount someone must pay, such as a tax or a price, granted as a concession or advantage.
   - Simple: Money taken off what someone has to pay, like a price or a tax, as a special favor or help.
   - _The new law gives small businesses a tax break for hiring veterans._
   - _Our landlord offered us a break on the rent if we signed a two-year lease._
20. A temporary split between romantic partners, often with the possibility of reuniting later.
   - Simple: A short time apart from a boyfriend or girlfriend, with a chance of getting back together.
   - _She suggested a break to give them both space to think things over._
   - _The couple's break lasted only a month before they reconciled._
21. An instance of something separating into two or more pieces.
   - Simple: A moment when something splits or snaps into pieces.
   - _X-rays showed a clean break just above the wrist._
   - _The sudden break in the cable stopped the elevator._
23. A gap where something solid or continuous opens up, or a space that appears between two things.
   - Simple: An open space or gap in something, or between two things.
   - _Hikers spotted the trail through a break in the dense forest._
   - _A break in the traffic let the pedestrians cross._
24. In computing, the division that separates one line, paragraph or page of a text from the next.
   - Simple: On a computer, a split that makes text start on a new line or page.
   - _Adding a break before each chapter heading makes every chapter start at the top of a page._
   - _The file had stray breaks scattered through it, leaving half-empty pages in the printout._
29. An act of escaping or getting away, often made suddenly.
   - Simple: A quick, sudden attempt to get away or escape.
   - _The convict's break from the maximum-security wing stunned the guards._
   - _When the guards changed shifts at midnight, two prisoners made a break for the gate._
31. In snooker, the total points a player scores in a single visit to the table.
   - Simple: In snooker, the points one player scores in one turn at the table.
   - _His highest break of the tournament was 112._
   - _A missed pink ended her break at 46, and her opponent stepped in to clear the table._
36. In tennis, a game won by the side receiving serve rather than by the server.
   - Simple: In tennis, a game won by the player or players who did not serve.
   - _She got the break in the seventh game and then served out the set._
   - _Both players served superbly, and the only break of the match came late in the final set._
40. The opening shot in a game of billiards, pool or snooker.
   - Simple: The first shot in a game of pool, snooker or billiards.
   - _She sank three balls on the break and never gave her opponent a shot._
   - _A clean break spreads the balls across the table and leaves plenty of options._
41. In soccer, a counterattack by a team that has just won the ball back.
   - Simple: In soccer, an attack made right after a team gets the ball back from the other team.
   - _The visitors sat deep all game and snatched the winner on the break._
   - _With so many players pushed forward, the home side was always exposed to the break._
42. A brief passage of music, often between verses, where some of the musicians drop out while the rest keep playing.
   - Simple: A short part of a song where some players stop and the others keep going.
   - _The banjo break after the second verse drew the biggest cheer of the night._
   - _During the breaks, the guitars drop out and only the drums keep the groove going._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To bring a stage production's run to a close.
- (verb) To fail as a trader and become insolvent or bankrupt.
- (verb) Of stock prices, to drop sharply all at once.
- (verb) To make a part of a program stop working correctly, especially as a side effect of a later change.
- (verb) Of a sound, to be heard all of a sudden.
- (verb) To abruptly disrupt a calm or settled condition, such as silence.
- (verb) In backgammon, to move away one of the two checkers holding a point, leaving it open.
- (verb) To strip a soldier or officer of rank, moving them down a grade.
- (verb) To end a connection or hold, separating things that were joined.
- (verb) In sport, to switch quickly from defense to an attack on the opponent.
- (verb) To reveal something, such as a plan or what one is thinking.
- (verb) To decline in health or vigor of body or mind.
- (verb) To weaken or destroy the firmness or strength of something.
- (verb) To strip someone of their office or rank and dismiss them.
- (verb) To end a friendship, typically after a quarrel.
- (verb) To stop a running program before it has finished.
- (verb) In debugging, to halt code midway so a developer can inspect variables and memory at that moment.
- (verb) To start a new line of text at a given point, or to allow one there.
- (noun) A steep plunge in market values over a short time.
- (noun) The first light of day, when morning starts.
- (noun) A key press or other signal that halts or pauses a running program.
- (noun) Short for breakpoint, a marked place where a program pauses during debugging.
- (noun) A shift in the weather, especially when a long run of fine or bad conditions finally ends.
- (noun) In golf, the sideways curve a putted ball takes because of the slope or grain of the green.
- (noun) A spot where waves curl over and turn into white water, as sought out by surfers.
- (noun) The moment horses leave the starting gate at the beginning of a race.
- (noun) An event in which sealed packs of trading cards are opened, often live, with the contents shared among buyers who paid for a slot.
- (noun) A big horse-drawn carriage on four wheels with a straight body and folding hood, seating the driver up front and a footman at the back.
- (noun) Another spelling of brake, a bodyless wagon frame used to train horses to pull.
- (noun) A harsh, severe kind of bit placed in a horse's mouth.
- (noun) The point in a woodwind's range where overblowing shifts it from the lower register to the upper one.
- (noun) The point where a singer's voice shifts from one register to the next.
- (noun) Rugged land along a river, cut by cliffs and ravines, usually used in the plural.
- (noun) A blunder or social mistake.
- (noun) A drum passage from a record that a hip-hop DJ loops and stretches out for dancers.
- (verb) To dance in the acrobatic street style of hip-hop, with spins and floor moves.

## Origin

From Middle English breken, from Old English brecan ("to break"), tracing back through Proto-Germanic *brekaną to the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰreg- ("to break"). It is related to Dutch breken, German brechen, and, further off, to Latin frangō, the source of English fracture, fragile, and fragment.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/break (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).