to break open
13
2.1
- phrasal verb
- /breɪk ˈoʊpən/
:
forzar
- I lost the key to the suitcase, so I had to break the suitcase open, right?
- break open the door
- break open your locker
- break open the case
That's the first thing, which means it breaks open. Its little shell and little roots begin to go down
- That's the first thing, which means it breaks open. Its little shell and little roots begin to go down
- You can pull this tool out and then use the end to break open the glass in this car in order to climb out.
- Nucleic acids and understanding what they are and how they function broke open the field of molecular biology.
Examples
-
We can break open some good cognac at my place.
-
Murphy and Delmar hear the front door break open and blast through the sliding glass doors, entering the house.
Fiction book (1999) -
Can you break open the door?
-
Let's break the door open
-
The door was locked from the inside so they had to break it open.
-
Tony, I broke open your locker.
-
We've got to find something to break this door open.
-
I should just go home and break open the piggy bank.
-
The sisters began breaking open the husk bundles, and steam rose from them in the cool air.
Fiction book (1997) -
The fire was so intense that the firefighters had to break open the door to rescue the trapped residents.
Synonyms
311
2.1
To break something into many pieces using great force
164
1.4
Break open suddenly because of pressure inside
149
1.0
To burst or make something burst with a sudden sound
137
4.9
To break rock or walls using explosives to make an opening
64
2.5
Make something not closed, for example by removing a lock or cover
38
4.1
Force a door or gate open by hitting it hard with your foot
34
5.8
To break something into pieces by hitting it hard
20
4.3
To open something by breaking or removing a seal
15
2.6
Open something like a bottle or box to get what is inside
14
5.5
Force open a door or gate by hitting it with your foot
11
3.3
To open suddenly, often because of wind or force
8
5.1
Open a closed container or use it for the first time
5
4.7
To damage something very badly so it breaks into pieces
4
3.0
To move apart by itself suddenly because of surprise or gravity
1
4.6
Pull a door quickly and hard to open it
1
7.1
Force a door open by hitting it hard
Antonyms
How Forceful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense of something being forced apart or made accessible is directly related to 'break' (to separate by force) + 'open' (to make open), so the core idea of a sudden forcible change is predictable from the constituents. However, the extension to abstract domains (emotions, conflicts) and the specific nuance 'erupt or intensify suddenly' is metaphorical and may not be fully inferable by a B1 learner without prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Break open paints a simple picture: you use force to break a locked chest or jar until it opens, so you can get inside. So, it means 'to open suddenly by force'.