to break
- verb
- /breɪk/
- The loud noise caused the glass to break and scatter everywhere.
- break a bone
- break a window
- break molecular bonds
All right, let's hope no one breaks any bones or necks.
- All right, let's hope no one breaks any bones or necks.
- He steps on the watch and breaks the face of the watch.
- And he said that it was an effort to break my hand, right.
- Yeah, or trip over and break your nose and teeth.
Examples
-
I think your water just broke.
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He steps on the watch and breaks the face of the watch.
-
And it's why things break when they fall.
-
Well, he got kicked off the horse and he broke an arm.
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I think she broke my nose.
-
And when the machine breaks, that's the end.
-
Minutes after the collision, the ship broke apart and sank, pulling many down with it.
Academic text (2013) -
Research has shown that bone marrow injected into broken bones can speed the healing.
Academic text (2012) -
He accidentally dropped the vase, and it broke into several pieces.
-
When she fell off her bike, she broke her wrist and needed to go to the hospital.
Synonyms
To pull something so it breaks into pieces
To break something so it does not work
To stop working, often suddenly
Stop working properly, as a machine or part
To break or form a narrow split in a surface
To break something into many pieces using great force
To break into parts or pieces
To badly damage or destroy something
To separate something into smaller parts to explain or study it
Break suddenly and completely, often with a sharp noise
Break open suddenly because of pressure inside
To break into pieces or stop working properly
To break open suddenly and violently
To break a hard object, for example a bone or rock
To break suddenly into many small pieces, like glass
Separate something into smaller pieces
To stop working or run out so nothing is left
To divide something into smaller parts
To break into pieces or fall into separate parts
To break into small pieces or make something break apart
Break or fail because of pressure
To break something into pieces by hitting it hard
Stop working and need repair
To make a piece come away from something by hitting or bending it
To separate into pieces, for example a machine or a group
To break into many small, sharp pieces like wood or glass
To open something suddenly by force, for example a locked door or jar
To break a piece from something with a quick, sharp movement
To stop working suddenly or to fall asleep because of tiredness
To damage something very badly so it breaks into pieces
To come off a larger thing, often because of force or damage
To force open a door or window to get inside
To break something into pieces
To break something into many small pieces
To divide something into parts, for example by cutting it or by sharing it among people
Antonyms
Idioms
To overcome barriers that stop women or minority groups getting higher jobs
- Informal
A sudden time when many people lose control and chaos starts
- Informal
To do new or difficult things on purpose to learn and grow
A phrase that says hurt to the body is worse than insults and words do not hurt
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
End a relationship with someone, for example a romantic or business partner
To stop something suddenly before it is finished, for example a talk or relationship
- Specialized
To make something separate into smaller parts by a chemical process
- Jargon
To speak directly to the audience during a play or film to show the story is not real
- Jargon
To remove communication barriers between teams so they can work together
Take part in activities usually not allowed on the Sabbath, like working or traveling
Compounds
- Specialized
A smaller tax people or companies must pay to encourage certain activities
- Jargon
A quick attack where a team moves fast down the court to score before the defense sets up
How Damaged
Surface Forms
Etymology
Break comes from an old English word brecan meaning 'to split' or 'to shatter'. So to break something is to make it come apart or stop working.