break
- noun
- /breɪk/
- Jargon
- The game turned when he finally achieved a break against the defending champion to take the lead.
Examples
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She took advantage of her opponent's error to win a crucial break in the second set.
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At the set break they had a big fight.
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Portland conceded 17 fast break points in the first half.
Blog text (18) -
Final set, tie break.
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During the match, he celebrated his break when he won a game while his opponent was serving.
Synonyms
A game the player who is not serving wins in tennis
A game one player wins while the opponent is serving
Idioms
- Informal
A sudden time when many people lose control and chaos starts
To overcome barriers that stop women or minority groups getting higher jobs
- 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
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
- Specialized
A seal that breaks when a package is opened to show if someone opened it
Surface Forms
Etymology
Break comes from an old English word brecan meaning 'to interrupt' or 'to split'. In tennis a 'break' is when you stop your opponent's advantage by winning their serve, so you interrupt their control.