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to break

to break

566 4.6
To cause a person or business to lose all money
  • verb
  • /breɪk/
translation icon : arruinar
  • 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.

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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

to ruin
vsto break
2.0

Destroy or badly damage something so it cannot be used

focuses on causing organizational or financial failure rather than general damage
to collapse
vsto break
579 3.9

To fall down suddenly, for example when a person faints or a building breaks

involves causing the failure or ruin of something rather than the event occurring itself
to bust
vsto break
  • Informal
553 4.0

To break something so it does not work

is more formal and covers causing serious organizational or financial failure
to smash
vsto break
72 5.1

To make someone's hopes, confidence, or plans fail completely

is about causing failure or collapse but not always total destruction
to bankrupt
vsto break
57 4.1

To make a person or company unable to pay their debts

is broader, causing organizational failure or collapse beyond just debt loss
to shatter
vsto break
48 4.6

Cause deep pain to someone's feelings and destroy their hopes

typically refers to causing business or organizational failure rather than emotional harm

Antonyms

753 1.4

Give money or other help so a person can live and study

102 4.0

To keep something going for a long time

Idioms

to make or break
  • Informal
26 4.5

Decide whether something is a complete success or failure

give me a break
  • Informal
22 7.9

Ask someone to stop criticizing or asking too much of you

to break a sweat
  • Informal
20 4.1

To start sweating from hard work or to need to try hard

to break a leg
  • Informal
15 6.3

To wish someone good luck before a performance

To cost a lot of money

To make a sound or speak after a time of silence

To do something in a new way instead of the usual way

To stop poverty passing from parents to children

To overcome barriers that stop women or minority groups getting higher jobs

1 7.9

A sudden time when many people lose control and chaos starts

1 5.4

Cause a huge rise in online attention and internet traffic

6.0

To work very hard at something until you are very tired

Have a first success after trying and failing

9.9

To fight strongly for a good cause in a brave, fair way

to break the buck
  • Literature
9.8

A money market fund's share price falls below one dollar

To do new or difficult things on purpose to learn and grow

To tease or nag someone in a way that annoys them

A phrase that says hurt to the body is worse than insults and words do not hurt

To look at the sky as the sun comes up

Phrasal Verbs

to break up
  • Informal
678 2.6

End a relationship with someone, for example a romantic or business partner

496 1.4

To stop doing something for a short time to rest or relax before continuing

to break up with
  • Informal
417 3.4

To end a romantic relationship with someone

213 2.8

To separate something into smaller parts to explain or study it

194 3.2

To stop working because of a problem

152 3.4

Make a group of people leave or spread out

140 3.8

To start suddenly, often with something dangerous like a fire or disease

111 3.9

To lose control of your feelings and cry or collapse

73 3.9

To enter a building or computer system without permission, often by force

66 2.7

Separate something into smaller pieces

to need a break
  • Informal
62 2.1

Want time to rest because you feel tired or stressed

51 3.6

To get free quickly from a place or situation, often from captivity

50 4.0

Suddenly start making a sound, like singing, laughing or crying

50 3.2

To stop something suddenly before it is finished, for example a talk or relationship

To overcome a difficulty after many tries and succeed

To move suddenly through a barrier, as light or a person

to break up
  • Informal
38 5.0

Become unable to cope because of strong stress or emotion

37 3.5

To remove barriers that stop people from doing something

to break down
  • Specialized
36 3.7

To make something separate into smaller parts by a chemical process

34 3.4

To make someone very sad because of love or disappointment

30 4.1

To leave an organization and form a separate group

30 3.4

To interrupt a conversation or activity without being invited

29 3.4

To make someone or something comfortable in a new situation

29 4.0

To take something out of storage to use it

28 2.8

To make a piece come away from something by hitting or bending it

27 3.3

Earn enough to cover all costs with no profit or loss

To separate into pieces, for example a machine or a group

Start work on a new building or important project

24 4.0

To develop spots or a rash on the skin

Begin suddenly in a violent or noisy way

23 4.1

End a relationship with someone or something in a clear, final way

to break the story
  • Literature
21 3.5

Be the first to tell people about a news event

To fail to do what you said you would do

Do better than anyone before in a sport or activity

To stop a repeated harmful pattern by choosing to change

14 3.3

Suddenly start doing something, like running or dancing

to break bread
  • Informal
14 3.9

To eat a meal together to show friendship or build community

13 2.1

To open something suddenly by force, for example a locked door or jar

To escape limits or control and become independent

11 3.3

Interrupt an activity so it stops for a short time

11 3.4

To start working in a new job or field, often for the first time

11 3.9

To stop doing something usual to try something new

to break up
  • Informal
9 3.0

Start laughing very hard and cannot stop

Open a closed container or use it for the first time

To force yourself free from a place or person

To escape suddenly from control, capture, or a group

Pack your things and leave a camp at the end of your stay

4 3.5

To introduce a new product or service to people

To let gas out of your bottom

To suddenly start running, often after walking or standing still

To come out of hiding into the open

To make progress when people cannot agree

To speak directly to the audience during a play or film to show the story is not real

To come off a larger thing, often because of force or damage

To finish the hardest part of a job to make the rest easier

To start suddenly and strongly, like an argument or a strong feeling

1 3.5

To force open a door or window to get inside

to break bad
  • Informal
1 8.9

Start doing illegal or wrong things after living an honest life

1 5.0

To not keep a serious promise you made, often in a formal situation

To perform a street dance with quick acrobatic moves to hip-hop music

To remove communication barriers between teams so they can work together

To tell someone bad news gently

Take part in activities usually not allowed on the Sabbath, like working or traveling

to break reality
  • Literature
8.5

To make people doubt what is real using art or media

To stop something before it finishes

9.9

Threaten to hit a person's face and hurt them

To get out of the same boring routine

Compounds

tax break
  • Specialized
98 3.0

A smaller tax people or companies must pay to encourage certain activities

83 3.9

An illegal entry into a building to steal or damage things

81 2.0

A short vacation from school in spring, usually one week

big break
  • Informal
38 3.2

An important chance that helps a person become successful in their career

20 1.0

A short break from work to drink coffee or eat a small snack

tough break
  • Informal
19 5.8

An unlucky event that makes things harder for someone

lucky break
  • Informal
13 3.2

A sudden chance that helps you succeed

13 1.2

A short pause to use the toilet

clean break
  • Informal
12 3.9

A complete ending of a relationship or old life to start fresh

10 1.0

A holiday when schools and universities close for winter

fast break
  • Jargon
9 3.5

A quick attack where a team moves fast down the court to score before the defense sets up

4 1.0

The first light of morning when the sun rises

A solo street dance with fast acrobatic moves on the ground to hip-hop music

1 3.6

A solo street dance with quick acrobatic moves often done to hip-hop music

1 1.3

A short informal break at work to drink tea or another drink

1 4.5

Illegal access to a computer system to steal or damage data

bio-break
  • Informal
1 8.6

A short break to use the toilet or take care of personal needs

The first light of morning when the sun begins to appear

5.1

A game one player wins while the opponent is serving

break seal
  • Specialized
6.1

A seal that breaks when a package is opened to show if someone opened it

9.9

A tree from the West Indies with very hard wood used for building

4.1

A piece that has come away from a larger object, often suddenly

3.9

A short pause in an activity

4.3

An ending of a relationship or agreement, often sudden

3.7

A short pause to use the toilet or have a brief rest

A short pause from work to move, stretch, or rest

service break
  • Jargon
5.1

A game the player who is not serving wins in tennis

How Damaging

to destroy
1.0
to bankrupt
57 4.1
to break
566 4.6
to damage
885 1.4
to hurt
1.0

Surface Forms

break infinitive
breaking present participle
breaks third person singular
broke past
broken past participle

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.