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to break the record

to break the record

16 3.2
Do better than anyone before in a sport or activity
  • phrasal verb
  • /breɪk ðə ˈrɛkərd/
translation icon : batir el récord
  • Afterwards, he threw 23 interceptions and broke the record for most fumbles in a single season.
  • want to break the record
  • try to break the record
  • chance to break the record

And he broke the record and he did it in six months.

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Examples

  • Last week, he broke the record for the fastest marathon time ever recorded.

  • I think he broke the record for highest manned balloon mission and for highest freefall speed.

    Blog text (2)
  • And he broke the record and he did it in six months.

  • Will it break the record of the first fight though?

  • Someone in the future will likely break the record.

    Blog text (2)
  • Dr. Jordan here is about to break the record for consecutive days in space.

  • My senior year I broke the record for yak yards, yards after catch.

  • They did break the record of the most expensive office lease in the NYC history.

  • All our concerts sell out, and we broke the record in Krakow, Poland, with 7,800 guitars playing at once for a Guinness.

    Blog text (17)
  • With her stunning performance, she broke the record for the highest score in the competition.

Synonyms

to break
vsto break the record
240 3.1

To do better than a previous record

is limited to achieving the all time best result in a given sport

How Exceptional

to break the record
16 3.2
to come close
51 2.8

Surface Forms

break the record infinitive
broken the record past participle
breaking the record present participle
breaks the record third person singular

Morphology

break + the + record

The meaning 'to achieve a better result than anyone previously' is directly inferable from combining 'break' (to damage/overcome or, in extended use, to surpass) with 'record' (a best performance). Although somewhat metaphorical, this sports/metaphoric use is conventional and follows a clear compositional logic that a B1 learner who knows both words and the sporting context can readily deduce.

Etymology

Break the record paints an easy picture: imagine a time or score written on a clock or board; to break that record is like smashing the old number and putting a new, better one in its place. So it means 'to achieve a better result' than anyone before.