to break one's back

Examples

• All

• And I'm trying to make enough for us, breaking my back

  Spa Night (2016)

• - Not too long ago, I was breaking my back in the fields.

  Milarepa (2025)

• I was breaking my back for you because of my love for the game.

  Kicking & Screaming (2005)

• I know that you think when I'm working around the house, cooking and cleaning and breaking my back, that I do it because it's fun.

  Stuart Saves His Family (1995)

• He has broken his back to give us a good life.

  Bopha! (1993)

• You work hard, toil, sweat... break your backs, for what?

  36 Husbands (2019)

• I works the land from sunup to sundown, breaking my back.

  The Color Purple (2023)

• I broke my back working overtime every day to meet the project deadline.

• She has been breaking her back at the new job, trying to impress her boss.

• They break their backs to keep the family business running smoothly.

Synonyms

S

to slave

vsto break one's back

47 5.3

To work very hard for a long time with little rest or reward

focuses on extreme effort often resulting in exhaustion rather than unfair treatment

O

to overwork

vsto break one's back

15 4.1

To make someone work too much so they become very tired or ill

is about personal extreme effort rather than the external act of forcing work

W

to work one's ass off

vsto break one's back

• Offensive

13 8.4

Try very hard for a long time to do something

is about extreme effort leading often to exhaustion rather than mere emphasis

B

to bust butt

vsto break one's back

• Informal

9 9.4

To work very hard to finish a task

focuses on extreme effort often leading to exhaustion as a result

W

to work like a dog

vsto break one's back

• Informal

8 3.4

Spend a lot of time doing hard, tiring tasks

means similar extreme effort but stresses exhaustion rather than unfair conditions

P

to push to the limit

vsto break one's back

7 5.1

Make a person or thing work as hard as possible until they cannot keep going

focuses on working extremely hard often causing exhaustion rather than testing capacity

O

to overexert

vsto break one's back

4 6.5

Make more effort than your body or mind can handle

refers to working extremely hard often to exhaustion but not necessarily past safe limits

W

to work one's fingers to the bone

vsto break one's back

• Informal

4 7.4

Do very hard, long jobs until you are very tired

is the simpler idiom without the same vivid body image

W

to work like crazy

vsto break one's back

• Informal

3 4.8

Try very hard for some time

is about extreme effort often causing exhaustion rather than duration

O

to overexert oneself

vsto break one's back

3 7.2

Make too much effort with your body or mind so it is unhealthy

covers the same extreme work but focused on effort rather than health consequences

P

to put one's shoulder to the wheel

vsto break one's back

• Informal

2 7.5

To start working very hard to reach a goal

describes ongoing extreme work often to exhaustion, not merely beginning effort

P

to push it to the limit

vsto break one's back

• Informal

1 7.2

Use all your energy and take big risks to test your skill

means sustained extreme work often to exhaustion rather than taking risks

P

to put one's shoulder into

vsto break one's back

• Informal

1 6.8

To work very hard and use a lot of energy

involves extreme effort often until exhaustion rather than just focused determination

W

to work to the bone

vsto break one's back

• Informal

6.0

To do very hard, long tasks until you are very tired

is a more general phrase rather than the idiom with bodily detail

B

to blaze away at

vsto break one's back

• Informal

7.1

To work on a task with a lot of energy for a long time

is about extreme effort often ending in exhaustion rather than just sustained energy

O

to overstrain

vsto break one's back

6.5

To push yourself or something too hard so it breaks and you become very tired

means extreme hard work but emphasizes effort rather than harm or damage

Antonyms

R

to relax

∞ 1.0

To feel less nervous and more calm

R

to rest

816 1.0

To stop activity to relax or sleep and get energy back

How Hard

to work one's fingers to the bone

• Informal

4 7.4

to break one's back

• Informal

6.0

to toil

35 5.3

work

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology