to need a break
62
2.1
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
necesitar un descanso
- After working long hours all week, I really need a break to recharge my energy.
And maybe he just needs a break to show him what he will be missing.
- And maybe he just needs a break to show him what he will be missing.
- I just my brain needs a break, so I'll meet you a bit later.
- So instead you, you need more, you need a break, you need to pull away.
- So maybe she needed a break to clear her head.
- All I knew at this point was I badly needed a break.
- But for now, I think we all need a break.
- This is so insane and such malpractice that I need a break.
- I'm glad I realized that now I need a break.
- Sometimes it's just your teammate, and one teammate needs a break.
- And in that week before I left, I could tell that I needed a break, like I needed to switch off.
- It was right after my sister died and I was like, OK, I need a break.
- And they were talking about how depleted they felt, how exhausted and that they just needed a break.
- I I thought about it, but I need a break like I've done.
Examples
-
So don't let the feeling that you need a break hold you back from being social.
Blog text (25) -
I need a break, so I can work on the house.
-
So maybe she needed a break to clear her head.
-
And in that week before I left, I could tell that I needed a break, like I needed to switch off.
-
It's really like you need a break at that point of the day, whether it's food, coffee.
-
"It's just a couple of days," she said, "and besides, I need a break from planning the wedding."
Fiction book (1996) -
I need to think of myself, and I need a break to reflect.
Blog text (1) -
I took a leave of absence this semester; I needed a break from law school.
Fiction book (1995) -
I need a break from you two and all your damn bickering.
-
Francesca's expression looks as if she needs a break from her family for more like four years.
Fiction book (1995)
Synonyms
2
3.6
Want a short rest to catch your breath
Antonyms
How Tired
- Informal
62
2.1
- Informal
2
3.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to require time off or rest' is directly and transparently derivable from combining 'need' (to require) with 'a break' (a short rest); the indefinite article does not alter the compositional meaning. This literal verb + noun composition is cross-linguistically common and follows standard English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily understand it.
Etymology
Need a break comes from the simple idea of break as a short stop in a long or hard activity. Imagine carrying a heavy load and pausing to set it down for a moment to rest; that's why it means 'to need time off or rest'.