to break
- verb
- /breɪk/
- Literature
- We take him to the Examiner, keep him under wraps until we can break the story exclusive.
- break the news
- break the ice
- break the silence
He's not, guys, sorry to break it to you, but he's not.
- He's not, guys, sorry to break it to you, but he's not.
- You know, I hate to break it to you, but no, I'm not.
- Now, let me just break it to the fools out there.
- I mean, I, I think the news broke probably late last night.
- His speech just broke news to him.
- Now you can see her in the new film Breaking News in Yuba County.
Examples
-
The journalist announced that they would break news on the latest developments in the health crisis.
-
10 bucks says he starts to cry when we break the news to him.
-
Uh-- look, I'm sorry to have to be the one to break the news about your son.
-
You broke this story, didn't you?
-
I'm goin' on down to break the news to Miles' wife.
-
He wants to break the story about you and Emmet.
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We have breaking news about the upcoming election that you won't want to miss.
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She was excited to report that the team was breaking news about a significant scientific discovery.
Synonyms
Show something that was hidden or secret
To make secret information known to other people
Become known to many people, even when it was secret
Reveal hidden facts or bad actions to people
Reveal secret facts to the public
To tell people information that was secret
Tell a secret on purpose or by accident
Information becomes known to many people
To tell secret or private information to people
To tell a secret or show feelings you were trying to hide
Tell secret or private information to other people
Be the first to tell people about a news event
Make secret information known to the public
To tell people about something secret
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 Public
- Literature
Surface Forms
Etymology
Break comes from an old English word brecan meaning 'to open' suddenly. When news or a story 'breaks', it is like it suddenly opens up and becomes known.