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[breyk] /breɪk/

verb (used with object), broke or (Archaic) brake; broken or (Archaic) broke; breaking.
1.
to smash, split, or divide into parts violently; reduce to pieces or fragments:
He broke a vase.
2.
to infringe, ignore, or act contrary to (a law, rule, promise, etc.):
She broke her promise.
3.
to dissolve or annul (often followed by off):
to break off friendly relations with another country.
4.
to fracture a bone of (some part of the body):
He broke his leg.
5.
to lacerate; wound:
to break the skin.
6.
to destroy or interrupt the regularity, uniformity, continuity, or arrangement of; interrupt:
The bleating of a foghorn broke the silence. The troops broke formation.
7.
to put an end to; overcome; stop:
His touchdown run broke the tie. She found it hard to break the cigarette habit.
8.
to discover the system, key, method, etc., for decoding or deciphering (a cryptogram), especially by the methods of cryptanalysis.
9.
to remove a part from (a set or collection):
She had to break the set to sell me the two red ones I wanted.
10.
to exchange for or divide into smaller units or components:
She broke a dollar bill into change. The prism broke the light into all the colors of the rainbow.
11.
to make a way through; penetrate:
The stone broke the surface of the water.
12.
Law.

13.
to make one’s way out of, especially by force:
to break jail.
14.
to better (a given score or record):
He never broke 200 in bowling or 80 in golf.
15.
to disclose or divulge personally in speech or writing:
He broke the good news to her at dinner.
16.
to solve:
The police needed only a week to break that case.
17.
to rupture (a blood vessel):
She almost broke a blood vessel from laughing so hard.
18.
to disable or destroy by or as if by shattering or crushing:
to break a watch.
19.
to cause (a blister, boil, or the like) to burst, as by puncturing:
She broke the blister with a needle.
20.
to ruin financially; make bankrupt:
They threatened to break him if he didn’t stop discounting their products.
21.
to overcome or wear down the spirit, strength, or resistance of; to cause to yield, especially under pressure, torture, or the like:
They broke him by the threat of blackmail.
22.
to dismiss or reduce in rank.
23.
to impair or weaken the power, effect, or intensity of:
His arm broke the blow.
24.
to train to obedience; tame:
to break a horse.
25.
to train away from a habit or practice (usually followed by of).
26.
Electricity. to render (a circuit) incomplete; stop the flow of (a current).
27.
Journalism.

28.
Pool. to cause (racked billiard balls) to scatter by striking with the cue ball.
29.
Sports.

30.
Nautical. to unfurl (a flag) suddenly by an easily released knot.
31.
to prove the falsity or show the lack of logic of:
The FBI broke his alibi by proving he knew how to shoot a pistol.
32.
to begin or initiate (a plan or campaign), especially with much publicity:
They were going to break the sales campaign with a parade in April.
33.
to open the breech or action of (a shotgun, rifle, or revolver), as by snapping open the hinge between the barrel and the butt.
verb (used without object), broke or (Archaic) brake; broken or (Archaic) broke; breaking.
34.
to shatter, burst, or become broken; separate into parts or fragments, especially suddenly and violently:
The glass broke on the floor.
35.
to become suddenly discontinuous or interrupted; stop abruptly:
She pulled too hard and the string broke.
36.
to become detached, separated, or disassociated (usually followed by away, off, or from):
The knob broke off in his hand.
37.
to become inoperative or to malfunction, as through wear or damage:
The television set broke this afternoon.
38.
to begin suddenly or violently or change abruptly into something else:
War broke over Europe.
39.
to begin uttering a sound or series of sounds or to be uttered suddenly:
She broke into song. When they entered, a cheer broke from the audience.
40.
to express or start to express an emotion or mood:
His face broke into a smile.
41.
to free oneself or escape suddenly, as from restraint or dependency (often followed by away):
He broke away from the arresting officer. She finally broke away from her parents and got an apartment of her own.
42.
to run or dash toward something suddenly (usually followed by for):
The pass receiver broke for the goal line.
43.
to force a way (usually followed by in, into, or through):
The hunters broke through the underbrush.
44.
to burst or rupture:
A blood vessel broke in his nose. The blister broke when he pricked it.
45.
to interrupt or halt an activity (usually followed by in, into, forth, or from):
Don’t break in on the conversation. Let’s break for lunch.
46.
to appear or arrive suddenly (usually followed by in, into, or out):
A deer broke into the clearing. A rash broke out on her arm.
47.
to dawn:
The day broke hot and sultry.
48.
to begin violently and suddenly:
The storm broke.
49.
(of a storm, foul weather, etc.) to cease:
The weather broke after a week, and we were able to sail for home.
50.
to part the surface of water, as a jumping fish or surfacing submarine.
51.
to give way or fail, as health, strength, or spirit; collapse:
After years of hardship and worry, his health broke.
52.
to yield or submit to pressure, torture, or the like:
He broke under questioning.
53.
(of the heart) to be overwhelmed with sorrow:
Her heart broke when he told her that he no longer loved her.
54.
(of the voice or a musical instrument) to change harshly from one register or pitch to another:
After his voice broke, he could no longer sing soprano parts.
55.
(of the voice) to cease, waver, or change tone abruptly, especially from emotional strain:
His voice broke when he mentioned her name.
56.
(of value or prices) to drop sharply and considerably.
57.
to disperse or collapse by colliding with something:
The waves broke on the shore.
58.
to .
59.
(of a horse in a harness race) to fail to keep to a trot or pace, as by starting to gallop.
60.
Botany. to mutate; sport.
61.
Linguistics. to undergo breaking.
62.
Billiards, Pool. to make a break; take the first turn in a game.
63.
Sports. (of a pitched or bowled ball) to change direction:
The ball broke over the plate.
64.
Horse Racing, Track. to leave the starting point:
The horses broke fast from the gate.
65.
Boxing. to step back or separate from a clinch:
The fighters fell into a clinch and broke on the referee’s order.
66.
to take place; occur.
67.
Journalism. to become known, published, or aired:
The story broke in the morning papers.
68.
Horticulture. to produce flowers or leaves.
noun
69.
an act or instance of breaking; disruption or separation of parts; fracture; rupture:
There was a break in the window.
70.
an opening made by breaking; gap:
The break in the wall had not been repaired.
71.
a rush away from a place; an attempt to escape:
a break for freedom.
72.
a sudden dash or rush, as toward something:
When the rain lessened, I made a break for home.
73.
a suspension of or sudden rupture in friendly relations.
74.
an interruption of continuity; departure from or rupture with:
Abstract painters made a break with the traditions of the past.
75.
an abrupt or marked change, as in sound or direction, or a brief pause:
They noticed a curious break in his voice.
76.
Informal.

77.
the breaks, Informal. the way things happen; fate:
Sorry to hear about your bad luck, but I guess those are the breaks.
78.
a brief rest, as from work:
The actors took a ten-minute break from rehearsal.
79.
Radio, Television. a brief, scheduled interruption of a program or broadcasting period for the announcement of advertising or station identification.
80.
Prosody. a pause or caesura.
81.
Jazz. a solo passage, usually of from 2 to 12 bars, during which the rest of the instruments are silent.
82.
Music. the point in the scale where the quality of voice of one register changes to that of another, as from chest to head.
83.
.
84.
a sharp and considerable drop in the prices of stock issues.
85.
Electricity. an opening or discontinuity in a circuit.
86.
Printing.

87.
the place, after a letter, where a word is or may be divided at the end of a line.
88.
a collapse of health, strength, or spirit; breakdown.
89.
Informal. an indiscreet or awkward remark or action; social blunder; faux pas.
90.
Billiards, Pool. a series of successful strokes; run.
91.
Pool. the opening play, in which the cue ball is shot to scatter the balls.
92.
Sports. a change in direction of a pitched or bowled ball.
93.
Horse Racing, Track. the start of a race.
94.
(in harness racing) an act or instance of a horse’s changing from a trot or pace into a gallop or other step.
95.
Bowling. a failure to knock down all ten pins in a single frame.
96.
Boxing. an act or instance of stepping back or separating from a clinch:
a clean break.
97.
any of several stages in the grinding of grain in which the bran is separated from the kernel.
98.
Botany. a sport.
99.
Journalism. the point at the bottom of a column where a printed story is carried over to another column or page.
100.
Nautical. the place at which a superstructure, deckhouse, or the like, rises from the main deck of a vessel.
101.
breaks, Physical Geography. an area dissected by small ravines and gullies.
102.
Mining. a fault or offset, as in a vein or bed of ore.
Verb phrases
103.
break away,

104.
break back, Tennis. to win a game served by an opponent immediately after the opponent has done so against one’s own serve.
105.
break down,

106.
break in,

107.
break in on/upon, to enter with force upon or accidentally interrupt; intrude upon:
The visitor opened the wrong door and broke in on a private conference.
108.
break into,

109.
break off,

110.
break out,

111.
break up,

112.
break with,

Idioms
113.
break bulk, Nautical. to remove a cargo wholly or in part.
114.
break camp, to pack up tents and equipment and resume a journey or march:
They broke camp at dawn and proceeded toward the mountains.
115.
break even, to finish a business transaction, period of gambling, series of games, etc., with no loss or gain:
He played poker all night and broke even.
116.
break ground,

117.
break it down, Australian Slang.

118.
break someone’s heart, to cause someone great disappointment or sorrow, as to disappoint in love:
It breaks my heart to hear you are leaving me.
119.
break service, Tennis. to win a game served by one’s opponent.
120.
break sheer, Nautical. (of an anchored vessel) to drift into such a position as to risk fouling the anchor or anchor cable.
Compare 2 (def 6).
121.
break step. (def 38).
122.
break wind, to expel gas from the stomach and bowels through the anus.
123.
give me a break, Informal. (used to express annoyance, disbelief, etc.):
He didn’t show up again? Oh, give me a break!
/breɪk/
verb breaks, breaking, broke, broken
1.
to separate or become separated into two or more pieces: this cup is broken
2.
to damage or become damaged so as to be inoperative: my radio is broken
3.
to crack or become cracked without separating
4.
to burst or cut the surface of (skin, etc)
5.
to discontinue or become discontinued: they broke for lunch, to break a journey
6.
to disperse or become dispersed: the clouds broke
7.
(transitive) to fail to observe (an agreement, promise, law, etc): to break one’s word
8.
(foll by with) to discontinue an association (with)
9.
to disclose or be disclosed: he broke the news gently
10.
(transitive) to fracture (a bone) in (a limb, etc)
11.
(transitive) to divide (something complete or perfect): to break a set of books
12.
to bring or come to an end: the summer weather broke at last
13.
(transitive) to bring to an end by or as if by force: to break a strike
14.
when intr, often foll by out. to escape (from): he broke jail, he broke out of jail
15.
to weaken or overwhelm or be weakened or overwhelmed, as in spirit
16.
(transitive) to cut through or penetrate: a cry broke the silence
17.
(transitive) to improve on or surpass: to break a record
18.
(transitive) often foll by in. to accustom (a horse) to the bridle and saddle, to being ridden, etc
19.
(transitive) often foll by of. to cause (a person) to give up (a habit): this cure will break you of smoking
20.
(transitive) to weaken the impact or force of: this net will break his fall
21.
(transitive) to decipher: to break a code
22.
(transitive) to lose the order of: to break ranks
23.
(transitive) to reduce to poverty or the state of bankruptcy
24.
when intr, foll by into. to obtain, give, or receive smaller units in exchange for; change: to break a pound note
25.
(transitive) (mainly military) to demote to a lower rank
26.
(intransitive; often foll by from or out of) to proceed suddenly
27.
(intransitive) to come into being: light broke over the mountains
28.
(intransitive; foll by into or out into)

29.
(transitive) to open with explosives: to break a safe
30.
(intransitive) (of waves)

31.
(intransitive) (esp of fish) to appear above the surface of the water
32.
(intransitive) (of the amniotic fluid surrounding an unborn baby) to be released when the amniotic sac ruptures in the first stage of labour: her waters have broken
33.
(intransitive) (informal, mainly US) to turn out in a specified manner: things are breaking well
34.
(intransitive) (of prices, esp stock exchange quotations) to fall sharply
35.
(intransitive) to make a sudden effort, as in running, horse racing, etc
36.
(intransitive) (cricket) (of a ball) to change direction on bouncing
37.
(transitive) (cricket) (of a player) to knock down at least one bail from (a wicket)
38.
(intransitive) (billiards, snooker) to scatter the balls at the start of a game
39.
(intransitive) (horse racing) to commence running in a race: they broke even
40.
(intransitive) (boxing, wrestling) (of two fighters) to separate from a clinch
41.
(intransitive) (music)

42.
(intransitive) (phonetics) (of a vowel) to turn into a diphthong, esp as a development in the language
43.
(transitive) to open the breech of (certain firearms) by snapping the barrel away from the butt on its hinge
44.
(transitive) to interrupt the flow of current in (an electrical circuit) Compare make1 (sense 27)
45.
(intransitive) (informal, mainly US) to become successful; make a breakthrough
46.
break bread

47.
break camp, to pack up equipment and leave a camp
48.
break ground, break new ground, to do something that has not been done before
49.
to overwork or work very hard
50.
break the back of, to complete the greatest or hardest part of (a task)
51.
break the bank, to ruin financially or deplete the resources of a bank (as in gambling)
52.
break the ice

53.
break the mould, to make a change that breaks an established habit, pattern, etc
54.
(tennis) break service, to win a game in which an opponent is serving
55.
break wind, to emit wind from the anus
noun
56.
the act or result of breaking; fracture
57.
a crack formed as the result of breaking
58.
a brief respite or interval between two actions: a break from one’s toil
59.
a sudden rush, esp to escape: to make a break for freedom
60.
a breach in a relationship: she has made a break from her family
61.
any sudden interruption in a continuous action
62.
(Brit) a short period between classes at school US and Canadian equivalent recess
63.
(informal) a fortunate opportunity, esp to prove oneself
64.
(informal) a piece of (good or bad) luck
65.
(esp in a stock exchange) a sudden and substantial decline in prices
66.
(prosody) a pause in a line of verse; caesura
67.
(billiards, snooker)

68.
(billiards, snooker)

69.
(tennis) Also called service break, break of serve. the act or instance of breaking an opponent’s service
70.
one of the intervals in a sporting contest
71.
(horse racing) the start of a race: an even break
72.
(in tenpin bowling) failure to knock down all the pins after the second attempt
73.

74.
a discontinuity in an electrical circuit
75.
access to a radio channel by a citizens’ band operator
76.
a variant spelling of brake1 (sense 6)
interjection
77.
(boxing, wrestling) a command by a referee for two opponents to separate
v.

Old English brecan “to break, shatter, burst; injure, violate, destroy, curtail; break into, rush into; burst forth, spring out; subdue, tame” (class IV strong verb; past tense bræc, past participle brocen), from Proto-Germanic *brekan (cf. Old Frisian breka, Dutch breken, Old High German brehhan, German brechen, Gothic brikan), from PIE root *bhreg- “to break” (see fraction). Most modern senses were in Old English. In reference to the heart from early 13c. Meaning “to disclose” is from early 13c.

Break bread “share food” (with) is from late 14c. Break the ice is c.1600, in reference to the “coldness” of encounters of strangers. Break wind first attested 1550s. To break (something) out (1890s) probably is an image from dock work, of freeing cargo before unloading it. Ironic theatrical good luck formula break a leg has parallels in German Hals- und Beinbruch “break your neck and leg,” and Italian in bocca al lupo. Evidence of a highly superstitious craft (cf. Macbeth).
n.

c.1300, “act of breaking,” from break (v.). Sense of “short interval between spells of work” (originally between lessons at school) is from 1861. Meaning “stroke of luck” is attested by 1911, probably an image from billiards (where the break that starts the game is attested from 1865). Meaning “stroke of mercy” is from 1914. Musical sense, “improvised passage, solo” is attested from 1920s in jazz.

noun

verb

Related Terms

coffee break, even break, take a break