to break
- verb
- /breɪk/
- A September demonstration protesting the pact's secret protocols was broken up by special police forces.
- break apart
- break the back of
And so it could break you, but it didn't break me mentally.
- And so it could break you, but it didn't break me mentally.
- Anger is the opposite, It breaks us apart.
- And, and then in the other field, my job is to break this man's spirit.
- And listen, this was almost enough to break me, and it wasn't over yet.
- And that would, in psychological terms, help to break the spirit of America.
- That block was designed to break the hardest prisoner in Pennsylvania.
- He her try to break her, but she never wavered.
Examples
-
And so it could break you, but it didn't break me mentally.
-
They want to subjugate you and break you to their will.
-
Guys, this is trying to break us up.
-
I felt that his failures in the Holy Land had broken him.
-
On the last day, we were breaking camp for the final climb out to the cars.
Academic text (2008) -
A dusty brown cloud lay over the broken houses and streets, and soldiers patrolled amid the ruins.
Fiction book (1992) -
The organization was on the brink of financial disaster, but poor management decisions ultimately break it.
-
His reckless spending habits began to break their relationship, leading to arguments about money.
-
After multiple failed attempts to launch the new product, the company's reputation began to break under the pressure.
Synonyms
Destroy or badly damage something so it cannot be used
To fall down suddenly, for example when a person faints or a building breaks
To break something so it does not work
To make someone's hopes, confidence, or plans fail completely
To make a person or company unable to pay their debts
Cause deep pain to someone's feelings and destroy their hopes
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 Damaging
Surface Forms
Etymology
Break comes from an old English word brecan meaning 'to shatter' or 'destroy'. To break someone financially is to make their money or business fall apart.