| English Dictionary |
BREAK (broke, broken)
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
, broken Dictionary entry overview: What does break mean?
• BREAK (noun)
The noun BREAK has 16 senses:
1. some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
2. an unexpected piece of good luck
3. (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
4. a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)
5. a pause from doing something (as work)
6. the act of breaking something
7. a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
8. breaking of hard tissue such as bone
9. the occurrence of breaking
10. an abrupt change in the tone or register of the voice (as at puberty or due to emotion)
11. the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool
12. (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving
13. an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity
14. a sudden dash
15. any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare
16. an escape from jail
Familiarity information: BREAK used as a noun is very familiar.
• BREAK (verb)
The verb BREAK has 59 senses:
1. terminate
2. become separated into pieces or fragments
3. render inoperable or ineffective
4. ruin completely
5. destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments
6. act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
7. move away or escape suddenly
8. scatter or part
9. force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up
10. prevent completion
11. enter someone's (virtual or real) property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act
12. make submissive, obedient, or useful
13. fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns
14. surpass in excellence
15. make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret
16. come into being
17. stop operating or functioning
18. interrupt a continued activity
19. make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing
20. curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves
21. lessen in force or effect
22. be broken in
23. come to an end
24. vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity
25. cause to give up a habit
26. give up
27. come forth or begin from a state of latency
28. happen or take place
29. cause the failure or ruin of
30. invalidate by judicial action
31. discontinue an association or relation; go different ways
32. assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
33. reduce to bankruptcy
34. change directions suddenly
35. emerge from the surface of a body of water
36. break down, literally or metaphorically
37. do a break dance
38. exchange for smaller units of money
39. destroy the completeness of a set of related items
40. make the opening shot that scatters the balls
41. separate from a clinch, in boxing
42. go to pieces
43. break a piece from a whole
44. become punctured or penetrated
45. pierce or penetrate
46. be released or become known; of news
47. cease an action temporarily
48. interrupt the flow of current in
49. undergo breaking
50. find a flaw in
51. find the solution or key to
52. change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another
53. happen
54. become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
55. crack; of the male voice in puberty
56. fall sharply
57. fracture a bone of
58. diminish or discontinue abruptly
59. weaken or destroy in spirit or body
Familiarity information: BREAK used as a verb is very familiar.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
break; interruption
Context example:
there was a break in the action when a player was hurt
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
happening; natural event; occurrence; occurrent (an event that happens)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "break"):
dislocation; disruption (an event that results in a displacement or discontinuity)
punctuation (something that makes repeated and regular interruptions or divisions)
abatement; hiatus; reprieve; respite; suspension (an interruption in the intensity or amount of something)
eclipse; occultation (one celestial body obscures another)
Derivation:
break (vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity)
Sense 2
Meaning:
An unexpected piece of good luck
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
break; good luck; happy chance
Context example:
he finally got his big break
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
accident; chance event; fortuity; stroke (anything that happens suddenly or by chance without an apparent cause)
Sense 3
Meaning:
(geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Synonyms:
break; fault; faulting; fracture; geological fault; shift
Context example:
he studied the faulting of the earth's crust
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
cleft; crack; crevice; fissure; scissure (a long narrow opening)
Meronyms (parts of "break"):
fault line ((geology) line determined by the intersection of a geological fault and the earth's surface)
Domain category:
geology (a science that deals with the history of the earth as recorded in rocks)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "break"):
inclined fault (a geological fault in which one side is above the other)
strike-slip fault (a geological fault in which one of the adjacent surfaces appears to have moved horizontally)
Instance hyponyms:
Denali Fault (a major open geological fault in Alaska)
San Andreas Fault (a major geological fault in California; runs from San Diego to San Francisco; the source of serious earthquakes)
Derivation:
break (become separated into pieces or fragments)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
breach; break; falling out; rift; rupture; severance
Context example:
they hoped to avoid a break in relations
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
breakup; detachment; separation (coming apart)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "break"):
schism (the formal separation of a church into two churches or the withdrawal of one group over doctrinal differences)
Derivation:
break (discontinue an association or relation; go different ways)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A pause from doing something (as work)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
break; recess; respite; time out
Context example:
he took time out to recuperate
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
pause (temporary inactivity)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "break"):
spring break (a week or more of recess during the spring term at school)
Derivation:
break (cease an action temporarily)
Sense 6
Meaning:
The act of breaking something
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
Context example:
the breakage was unavoidable
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
change of integrity (the act of changing the unity or wholeness of something)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "break"):
rupture (the act of making a sudden noisy break)
shattering; smashing (the act of breaking something into small pieces)
crack; cracking; fracture (the act of cracking something)
chip; chipping; splintering (the act of chipping something)
Derivation:
break (become separated into pieces or fragments)
break (destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments)
Sense 7
Meaning:
A time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
Synonyms:
break; intermission; interruption; pause; suspension
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
interval; time interval (a definite length of time marked off by two instants)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "break"):
lapse (a break or intermission in the occurrence of something)
blackout (a suspension of radio or tv broadcasting)
caesura (a pause or interruption (as in a conversation))
dead air (an inadvertent interruption in a broadcast during which there is no sound)
delay; hold; postponement; time lag; wait (time during which some action is awaited)
halftime (an intermission between the first and second half of a game)
relief; respite; rest; rest period (a pause for relaxation)
time-out (a brief suspension of play)
letup; lull (a pause during which things are calm or activities are diminished)
Derivation:
break (interrupt a continued activity)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Breaking of hard tissue such as bone
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Synonyms:
break; fracture
Context example:
the break seems to have been caused by a fall
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
harm; hurt; injury; trauma (any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "break"):
comminuted fracture (fracture in which the bone is splintered or crushed)
complete fracture (break involving the entire width of the bone)
compound fracture; open fracture (bone fracture associated with lacerated soft tissue or an open wound)
compression fracture (fracture in which the bone collapses (especially in short bones such as vertebrae))
depressed fracture (fracture of the skull where the bone is pushed in)
displaced fracture (fracture in which the two ends of the broken bone are separated from one another)
fatigue fracture; stress fracture (fracture resulting from excessive activity rather than a specific injury)
capillary fracture; hairline fracture (a fracture without separation of the fragments and the line of the break being very thin)
incomplete fracture (fracture that does not go across the entire width of the bone)
impacted fracture (fracture in which one broken end is wedged into the other broken end)
closed fracture; simple fracture (an uncomplicated fracture in which the broken bones to not pierce the skin)
Derivation:
break (fracture a bone of)
break (become fractured; break or crack on the surface only)
Sense 9
Meaning:
The occurrence of breaking
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Context example:
the break in the dam threatened the valley
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
breakup; detachment; separation (coming apart)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "break"):
snap (a sudden breaking)
Derivation:
break (become separated into pieces or fragments)
Sense 10
Meaning:
An abrupt change in the tone or register of the voice (as at puberty or due to emotion)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Context example:
then there was a break in her voice
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
alteration; change; modification (an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another)
Sense 11
Meaning:
The opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
shot; stroke ((sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand)
Holonyms ("break" is a part of...):
billiards (any of several games played on rectangular cloth-covered table (with cushioned edges) in which long tapering cue sticks are used to propel ivory (or composition) balls)
pocket billiards; pool (any of various games played on a pool table having 6 pockets)
Derivation:
break (make the opening shot that scatters the balls)
Sense 12
Meaning:
(tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
break; break of serve
Context example:
he was up two breaks in the second set
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
score (the act of scoring in a game or sport)
Domain category:
lawn tennis; tennis (a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court)
Sense 13
Meaning:
An act of delaying or interrupting the continuity
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
break; disruption; gap; interruption
Context example:
there was a gap in his account
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
delay; holdup (the act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "break"):
cut-in; insert ((film) a still picture that is introduced and that interrupts the action of a film)
cut-in; insert ((broadcasting) a local announcement inserted into a network program)
interjection; interpellation; interpolation; interposition (the action of interjecting or interposing an action or remark that interrupts)
abruption; breaking off (an instance of sudden interruption)
barracking; heckling (shouting to interrupt a speech with which you disagree)
Sense 14
Meaning:
A sudden dash
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Context example:
he made a break for the open door
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "break"):
fast break ((basketball) a rapid dash to get a shot as soon as possible after taking possession of the ball)
Sense 15
Meaning:
Any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
break; open frame
Context example:
the break in the eighth frame cost him the match
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
score (the act of scoring in a game or sport)
Sense 16
Meaning:
An escape from jail
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
break; breakout; gaolbreak; jailbreak; prison-breaking; prisonbreak
Context example:
the breakout was carefully planned
Hypernyms ("break" is a kind of...):
escape; flight (the act of escaping physically)
Derivation:
break (move away or escape suddenly)
| Conjugation: |
... he / she / it breaks Past simple: broke
Past participle: broken
-ing form: breaking
Sense 1
Meaning:
Terminate
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
break; interrupt
Context example:
break the cycle of poverty
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
end; terminate (bring to an end or halt)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
hold on; stop (stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments)
break off; break short; cut short (interrupt before its natural or planned end)
freeze; suspend (stop a process or a habit by imposing a freeze on it)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sense 2
Meaning:
Become separated into pieces or fragments
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
break; come apart; fall apart; separate; split up
Context example:
The freshly baked loaf fell apart
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
change integrity (change in physical make-up)
Verb group:
break (destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
break open; burst; split (come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure)
puncture (be pierced or punctured)
burst; bust (break open or apart suddenly and forcefully)
smash (break suddenly into pieces, as from a violent blow)
ladder; run (come unraveled or undone as if by snagging)
crack; snap (break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension)
break up; fragment; fragmentise; fragmentize (break or cause to break into pieces)
crush (become injured, broken, or distorted by pressure)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sentence examples:
The wooden sticks break
These glasses break easily
Also:
break up (separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts)
Derivation:
break (the occurrence of breaking)
breakable (capable of being broken or damaged)
break ((geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other)
break (the act of breaking something)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Render inoperable or ineffective
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
damage (inflict damage upon)
Verb group:
break; break down; conk out; die; fail; give out; give way; go; go bad (stop operating or functioning)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
breakage (the act of breaking something)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Ruin completely
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
break; bust
Context example:
He busted my radio!
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
destroy; ruin (destroy completely; damage irreparably)
Cause:
break; bust; fall apart; wear; wear out (go to pieces)
Verb group:
break; bust; fall apart; wear; wear out (go to pieces)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
break down (cause to fall or collapse)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Antonym:
repair (restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken)
Also:
break up (set or keep apart)
break up (take apart into its constituent pieces)
break off (break a small piece off from)
break down (make a mathematical, chemical, or grammatical analysis of; break down into components or essential features)
break apart (take apart into its constituent pieces)
Derivation:
breakable (capable of being broken or damaged)
breakage (the act of breaking something)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
She broke the match
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
divide; separate (make a division or separation)
Verb group:
break; come apart; fall apart; separate; split up (become separated into pieces or fragments)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
shatter (cause to break into many pieces)
fracture (break into pieces)
break in (break so as to fall inward)
dash; smash (break into pieces, as by striking or knocking over)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sentence example:
The girls break the wooden sticks
Derivation:
break (the act of breaking something)
breakable (capable of being broken or damaged)
breakage (the act of breaking something)
breaker (a quarry worker who splits off blocks of stone)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
breach; break; go against; infract; offend; transgress; violate
Context example:
break a promise
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
disrespect (show a lack of respect for)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
sin; transgress; trespass (commit a sin; violate a law of God or a moral law)
blunder; boob; drop the ball; goof; sin (commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake)
conflict; contravene; infringe; run afoul (go against, as of rules and laws)
trespass (break the law)
intrude; trespass (enter unlawfully on someone's property)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Antonym:
keep (conform one's action or practice to)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Move away or escape suddenly
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
break; break away; break out
Context example:
Nobody can break out--this prison is high security
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
break loose; escape; get away (run away from confinement)
Verb group:
break (make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
break (an escape from jail)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Scatter or part
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Context example:
The clouds broke after the heavy downpour
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
disperse; dissipate; scatter; spread out (move away from each other)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 9
Meaning:
Force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up
Classified under:
Verbs of feeling
Synonyms:
Context example:
erupt in anger
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
express emotion; express feelings (give verbal or other expression to one's feelings)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s PP
Sense 10
Meaning:
Prevent completion
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
break; break off; discontinue; stop
Context example:
break off the negotiations
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
end; terminate (bring to an end or halt)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
fracture (become fractured)
bog; bog down (get stuck while doing something)
break up; cut off; disrupt; interrupt (make a break in)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sense 11
Meaning:
Enter someone's (virtual or real) property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
break; break in
Context example:
who broke into my account last night?
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
intrude; trespass (enter unlawfully on someone's property)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
crack (gain unauthorized access computers with malicious intentions)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP
Sense 12
Meaning:
Make submissive, obedient, or useful
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
break; break in
Context example:
I broke in the new intern
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
domesticate; domesticise; domesticize; reclaim; tame (overcome the wildness of; make docile and tractable)
Cause:
break (be broken in)
Verb group:
break (be broken in)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Sense 13
Meaning:
Fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Synonyms:
break; go against; violate
Context example:
This sentence violates the rules of syntax
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
fly in the face of; fly in the teeth of (go against)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sense 14
Meaning:
Surpass in excellence
Classified under:
Verbs of fighting, athletic activities
Synonyms:
better; break
Context example:
break a record
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
exceed; outdo; outgo; outmatch; outperform; outstrip; surmount; surpass (be or do something to a greater degree)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 15
Meaning:
Make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Synonyms:
break; bring out; disclose; discover; divulge; expose; give away; let on; let out; reveal; uncover; unwrap
Context example:
The newspaper uncovered the President's illegal dealings
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
tell (let something be known)
Cause:
break; get around; get out (be released or become known; of news)
Verb group:
break; get around; get out (be released or become known; of news)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
blackwash (bring (information) out of concealment)
muckrake (explore and expose misconduct and scandals concerning public figures)
blow (cause to be revealed and jeopardized)
out (reveal (something) about somebody's identity or lifestyle)
come out; come out of the closet; out (to state openly and publicly one's homosexuality)
spring (produce or disclose suddenly or unexpectedly)
betray; bewray (reveal unintentionally)
confide (reveal in private; tell confidentially)
leak (tell anonymously)
babble; babble out; blab; blab out; let the cat out of the bag; peach; sing; spill the beans; talk; tattle (divulge confidential information or secrets)
reveal (disclose directly or through prophets)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something to somebody
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE
Sense 16
Meaning:
Come into being
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
Voices broke in the air
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
become; get; go (enter or assume a certain state or condition)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 17
Meaning:
Stop operating or functioning
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
break; break down; conk out; die; fail; give out; give way; go; go bad
Context example:
her eyesight went after the accident
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)
Verb group:
break (render inoperable or ineffective)
buy the farm; cash in one's chips; choke; conk; croak; decease; die; drop dead; exit; expire; give-up the ghost; go; kick the bucket; pass; pass away; perish; pop off; snuff it (pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
crash; go down (stop operating)
blow; blow out; burn out (melt, break, or become otherwise unusable)
misfire (fail to fire or detonate)
malfunction; misfunction (fail to function or function improperly)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sentence example:
These cars won't break
Derivation:
breakable (capable of being broken or damaged)
Sense 18
Meaning:
Interrupt a continued activity
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
break; break away
Context example:
She had broken with the traditional patterns
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
break; break up; part; separate; split; split up (discontinue an association or relation; go different ways)
Sentence frames:
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
break (a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something)
Sense 19
Meaning:
Make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Context example:
The ranks broke
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
flee; fly; take flight (run away quickly)
Verb group:
break; break away; break out (move away or escape suddenly)
Domain category:
armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Sense 20
Meaning:
Curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Context example:
The surf broke
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
break; cave in; collapse; fall in; founder; give; give way (break down, literally or metaphorically)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Derivation:
breaker (waves breaking on the shore)
Sense 21
Meaning:
Lessen in force or effect
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
break; damp; dampen; soften; weaken
Context example:
break a fall
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
blunt; deaden (make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
deafen (make soundproof)
damp; dampen; deaden (make vague or obscure or make (an image) less visible)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sense 22
Meaning:
Be broken in
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)
Verb group:
break; break in (make submissive, obedient, or useful)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Sense 23
Meaning:
Come to an end
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Context example:
The heat wave finally broke yesterday
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
cease; end; finish; stop; terminate (have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 24
Meaning:
Vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Context example:
The flat plain was broken by tall mesas
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
alter; change; vary (become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s something
Derivation:
break (some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity)
Sense 25
Meaning:
Cause to give up a habit
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Context example:
She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes
Cause:
break (give up)
Verb group:
break (give up)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
Sense 26
Meaning:
Give up
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Context example:
break cigarette smoking
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
cease; discontinue; give up; lay off; quit; stop (put an end to a state or an activity)
Verb group:
break (cause to give up a habit)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 27
Meaning:
Come forth or begin from a state of latency
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Context example:
The first winter storm broke over New York
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
come forth; emerge (happen or occur as a result of something)
Sentence frame:
Something is ----ing PP
Sense 28
Meaning:
Happen or take place
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
come about; fall out; go on; hap; happen; occur; pass; pass off; take place (come to pass)
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 29
Meaning:
Cause the failure or ruin of
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
This play will either make or break the playwright
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
ruin (destroy or cause to fail)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Antonym:
make (assure the success of)
Sense 30
Meaning:
Invalidate by judicial action
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
The will was broken
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
annul; avoid; invalidate; nullify; quash; void (declare invalid)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 31
Meaning:
Discontinue an association or relation; go different ways
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
break; break up; part; separate; split; split up
Context example:
My friend and I split up
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
give the axe; give the bounce; give the gate (terminate a relationship abruptly)
break apart; disunify (break up or separate)
disassociate; disjoint; dissociate; disunite; divorce (part; cease or break association with)
break with (end a relationship)
divorce; split up (get a divorce; formally terminate a marriage)
break away; secede; splinter (withdraw from an organization or communion)
break; break away (interrupt a continued activity)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Derivation:
break (a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions))
Sense 32
Meaning:
Assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
break; bump; demote; kick downstairs; relegate
Context example:
He was broken down to Sergeant
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
assign; delegate; depute; designate (give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person))
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
sideline (remove from the center of activity or attention; place into an inferior position)
reduce (bring to humbler or weaker state or condition)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s something PP
Sense 33
Meaning:
Reduce to bankruptcy
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Synonyms:
Context example:
The slump in the financial markets smashed him
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
impoverish (make poor)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Sense 34
Meaning:
Change directions suddenly
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
change; shift; switch (lay aside, abandon, or leave for another)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Sense 35
Meaning:
Emerge from the surface of a body of water
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Context example:
The whales broke
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
appear (come into sight or view)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 36
Meaning:
Break down, literally or metaphorically
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
break; cave in; collapse; fall in; founder; give; give way
Context example:
The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)
Verb group:
abandon; give up (stop maintaining or insisting on; of ideas or claims)
burst; collapse (cause to burst)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
go off; implode (burst inward)
buckle; crumple (fold or collapse)
flop (fall loosely)
break (curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves)
sink; slide down; slump (fall or sink heavily)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Sense 37
Meaning:
Do a break dance
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
break; break-dance; break dance
Context example:
Kids were break-dancing at the street corner
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
dance; trip the light fantastic; trip the light fantastic toe (move in a pattern; usually to musical accompaniment; do or perform a dance)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Sentence example:
Sam and Sue break
Sense 38
Meaning:
Exchange for smaller units of money
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Context example:
I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
change; commute; convert; exchange (exchange or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category)
Verb group:
break; break up (destroy the completeness of a set of related items)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 39
Meaning:
Destroy the completeness of a set of related items
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
break; break up
Context example:
The book dealer would not break the set
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)
Verb group:
break (exchange for smaller units of money)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
breakable (capable of being broken or damaged)
Sense 40
Meaning:
Make the opening shot that scatters the balls
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
shoot (throw or propel in a specific direction or towards a specific objective)
Domain category:
billiards (any of several games played on rectangular cloth-covered table (with cushioned edges) in which long tapering cue sticks are used to propel ivory (or composition) balls)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Derivation:
break (the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool)
Sense 41
Meaning:
Separate from a clinch, in boxing
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Context example:
The referee broke the boxers
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
disunite; divide; part; separate (force, take, or pull apart)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
Sense 42
Meaning:
Go to pieces
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
break; bust; fall apart; wear; wear out
Context example:
The old chair finally fell apart completely
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
crumble; decay; dilapidate (fall into decay or ruin)
Verb group:
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
fray; frazzle (wear away by rubbing)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Also:
break apart (break violently or noisily; smash)
break away; break off (break off (a piece from a whole))
break up (break violently or noisily; smash)
Derivation:
breakable (capable of being broken or damaged)
Sense 43
Meaning:
Break a piece from a whole
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
Context example:
break a branch from a tree
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
detach (cause to become detached or separated; take off)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
breakable (capable of being broken or damaged)
breakage (the act of breaking something)
breaker (a quarry worker who splits off blocks of stone)
Sense 44
Meaning:
Become punctured or penetrated
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Context example:
The skin broke
Verb group:
break (pierce or penetrate)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 45
Meaning:
Pierce or penetrate
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Context example:
The blade broke her skin
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
penetrate; perforate (pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance)
Verb group:
break (become punctured or penetrated)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s something
Sense 46
Meaning:
Be released or become known; of news
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Synonyms:
break; get around; get out
Context example:
News of her death broke in the morning
Verb group:
break; bring out; disclose; discover; divulge; expose; give away; let on; let out; reveal; uncover; unwrap (make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 47
Meaning:
Cease an action temporarily
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Synonyms:
Context example:
let's break for lunch
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
break up; cut off; disrupt; interrupt (make a break in)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
breathe; catch one's breath; rest; take a breather (take a short break from one's activities in order to relax)
take five (take a break for five minutes)
take ten (take a ten minute break)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Derivation:
break (a pause from doing something (as work))
Sense 48
Meaning:
Interrupt the flow of current in
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Context example:
break a circuit
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
break up; cut off; disrupt; interrupt (make a break in)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
breaker (a device that trips like a switch and opens the circuit when overloaded)
Sense 49
Meaning:
Undergo breaking
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Context example:
The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
diphthongise; diphthongize (change from a simple vowel to a diphthong)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 50
Meaning:
Find a flaw in
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Context example:
break down a proof
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
destroy; ruin (destroy completely; damage irreparably)
Verb group:
break (find the solution or key to)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sense 51
Meaning:
Find the solution or key to
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Context example:
break the code
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
figure out; lick; puzzle out; solve; work; work out (find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of)
Verb group:
break (find a flaw in)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 52
Meaning:
Change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
change; shift; switch (lay aside, abandon, or leave for another)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 53
Meaning:
Happen
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
break; develop; recrudesce
Context example:
These political movements recrudesce from time to time
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
come about; fall out; go on; hap; happen; occur; pass; pass off; take place (come to pass)
Verb group:
develop (be gradually disclosed or unfolded; become manifest)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Also:
break out (start abruptly)
break through (penetrate)
Sense 54
Meaning:
Become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
Context example:
The glass cracked when it was heated
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)
Verb group:
check; chink (make cracks or chinks in)
crack (cause to become cracked)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "break"):
crack (break partially but keep its integrity)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Derivation:
break (breaking of hard tissue such as bone)
breakable (capable of being broken or damaged)
Sense 55
Meaning:
Crack; of the male voice in puberty
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
change state; turn (undergo a transformation or a change of position or action)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 56
Meaning:
Fall sharply
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
stock prices broke
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
decrease; diminish; fall; lessen (decrease in size, extent, or range)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sentence example:
The stock market is going to break
Sense 57
Meaning:
Fracture a bone of
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Synonyms:
break; fracture
Context example:
I broke my foot while playing hockey
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
injure; wound (cause injuries or bodily harm to)
Verb group:
fracture (break (a bone))
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sentence example:
Did he break his foot?
Derivation:
break (breaking of hard tissue such as bone)
Sense 58
Meaning:
Diminish or discontinue abruptly
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Context example:
The patient's fever broke last night
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
decrease; diminish; fall; lessen (decrease in size, extent, or range)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 59
Meaning:
Weaken or destroy in spirit or body
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Context example:
a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death
Hypernyms (to "break" is one way to...):
weaken (lessen the strength of)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s somebody
Context examples
Then he tried, as an experiment, a short story, and before he broke his stride he had finished six short stories and despatched them to various magazines.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
He may have met him there, may even have helped him to break in the door, and then they may have fallen out between themselves.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Such a fact must tell against the theory that the man who breaks them is influenced by any general hatred of Napoleon.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The whist party soon afterwards breaking up, the players gathered round the other table and Mr. Collins took his station between his cousin Elizabeth and Mrs. Phillips.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
Many people will be pressuring you to rush work out the door, but remember to take tiny breaks and go to sleep a half-hour earlier each night.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
The straw, however, began to burn, broke in two pieces, and fell into the stream.
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
He has broken himself so often that he is mended in a hundred places, and doesn't look at all pretty.
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
I slept well, and as I conjectured at least six hours, for I found the day broke in two hours after I awaked.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
His was a broken, jerky utterance, caused by the violence with which he hammered his numb hand upon the wood.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
They had no chance to make a break for liberty in one of the boats.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"Many people, bad assistance" (Breton proverb)
"The person who pours water to other is the last one to drink." (Arabic proverb)
"He who protects himself from cold also wards off heat." (Corsican proverb)