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Glite Dictionary
to break it to someone

to break it to someone

4.6
To tell someone bad news gently
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : dar una mala noticia
  • She was unsure how to break it to him that he didn't get the job.

Examples

Synonyms

to let someone down gently
vsto break it to someone
3 4.3

To end a relationship or give bad news in a way that hurts less

is more general, used for any unpleasant news with tact
to let down gently
vsto break it to someone
1 3.5

Tell someone bad news in a kind way

is broader, used for any unwelcome news rather than only rejection
to burst someone's bubble
vsto break it to someone
  • Informal
6.3

Tell someone that something they hoped for is not true

is the careful, tactful way to tell unpleasant news and reduce hurt

Antonyms

to sugarcoat
  • Informal
19 5.0

Make something unpleasant seem nicer than it is

How Tactful

to soften the blow
  • Informal
8 4.7
to break it to someone
4.6
to inform
∞ 1.0
to tell
∞ 1.0
to blurt out
  • Informal
42 3.9

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

break + it + to + someone

The verb 'break' is used metaphorically here (as in 'break the news') to mean 'reveal' rather than its literal sense, and the pronoun 'it' is a vague placeholder for unpleasant information; the connection is interpretable but requires knowledge of this figurative use. Because the sense is a conventionalized metaphorical extension and not fully predictable from the literal meanings alone, a B1 learner who knows the words but has not seen the phrase would likely not infer the exact sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

Break it to someone comes from the image of break and it — breaking a large, hard piece of news into smaller parts so the other person can take it more easily. That's why it means 'to tell someone bad news' gently or carefully.