Dictionary.net

a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations"

come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"

an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned"

any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare; "the break in the eighth frame cost him the match"

a sudden dash; "he made a break for the open door"

the act of breaking something; "the breakage was unavoidable"

(tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving; "he was up two breaks in the second set"

the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool

a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute break"; "he took time out to recuperate"

the occurrence of breaking; "the break in the dam threatened the valley"

break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree"

enter someone's property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act; "Someone broke in while I was on vacation"; "They broke into my car and stole my radio!"

discontinue an association or relation; go different ways; "The business partners broke over a tax question"; "The couple separated after 25 years of marriage"; "My friend and I split up"

ruin completely; "He busted my radio!"

lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"

force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger"

breaking of hard tissue such as bone; "it was a nasty fracture"; "the break seems to have been caused by a fall"

fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"

an unexpected piece of good luck; "he finally got his big break"

a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch"

weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death"

diminish or discontinue abruptly; "The patient's fever broke last night"

fall sharply; "stock prices broke"

make submissive, obedient, or useful; "The horse was tough to break"; "I broke in the new intern"

be broken in; "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress"

of the male voice in puberty; "his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir"

render inoperable or ineffective; "You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!"

destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments; "He broke the glass plate"; "She broke the match"

become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated"

happen; "Report the news as it develops"; "These political movements recrudesce from time to time"

prevent completion; "stop the project"; "break off the negociations"

terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky streak"; "break the cycle of poverty"

change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another; "Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children"

come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices broke in the air"

find the solution or key to; "break the code"

find a flaw in; "break an alibi"; "break down a proof"

undergo breaking; "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages"

interrupt the flow of current in; "break a circuit"

pierce or penetrate; "The blade broke her skin"

become punctured or penetrated; "The skin broke"

separate from a clinch, in boxing; "The referee broke the boxers"

make the opening shot that scatters the balls

destroy the completeness of a set of related items; "The book dealer would not break the set"

exchange for smaller units of money; "I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy"

curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The surf broke"

emerge from the surface of a body of water; "The whales broke"

scatter or part; "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"

make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing; "The ranks broke"

move away or escape suddenly; "The horses broke from the stable"; "Three inmates broke jail"; "Nobody can break out--this prison is high security"

change directions suddenly

invalidate by judicial action; "The will was broken"

cause the failure or ruin of; "His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage"; "This play will either make or break the playwright"

happen or take place; "Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months"

come forth or begin from a state of latency; "The first winter storm broke over New York"

fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns; "This sentence violates the rules of syntax"

give up; "break cigarette smoking"

cause to give up a habit; "She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes"

vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat plain was broken by tall mesas"

a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations"

come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"

an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned"

any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare; "the break in the eighth frame cost him the match"

a sudden dash; "he made a break for the open door"

the act of breaking something; "the breakage was unavoidable"

(tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving; "he was up two breaks in the second set"

the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool

a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute break"; "he took time out to recuperate"

the occurrence of breaking; "the break in the dam threatened the valley"

break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree"

enter someone's property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act; "Someone broke in while I was on vacation"; "They broke into my car and stole my radio!"

discontinue an association or relation; go different ways; "The business partners broke over a tax question"; "The couple separated after 25 years of marriage"; "My friend and I split up"

ruin completely; "He busted my radio!"

lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"

force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger"

breaking of hard tissue such as bone; "it was a nasty fracture"; "the break seems to have been caused by a fall"

fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"

an unexpected piece of good luck; "he finally got his big break"

a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch"

To strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with violence; as, to break a rope or chain; to break a seal; to break an axle; to break rocks or coal; to break a lock.

To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a package of goods.

To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate.

To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise.

To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate; as, to break silence; to break one's sleep; to break one's journey.

To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as, to break a set.

To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British squares.

To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments.

To exchange for other money or currency of smaller denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill.

To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as, to break flax.

To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind.

To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a fall or blow.

To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or saddle.

To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to ruin.

To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss.

To come apart or divide into two or more pieces, usually with suddenness and violence; to part; to burst asunder.

To open spontaneously, or by pressure from within, as a bubble, a tumor, a seed vessel, a bag.

To burst forth; to make its way; to come to view; to appear; to dawn.

To burst forth violently, as a storm.

To open up; to be scattered; to be dissipated; as, the clouds are breaking.

To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief; as, my heart is breaking.

To fall in business; to become bankrupt.

To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait; as, to break into a run or gallop.

To fail in musical quality; as, a singer's voice breaks when it is strained beyond its compass and a tone or note is not completed, but degenerates into an unmusical sound instead. Also, to change in tone, as a boy's voice at puberty.

To fall out; to terminate friendship.

An opening made by fracture or disruption.

An interruption of continuity; change of direction; as, a break in a wall; a break in the deck of a ship.

A projection or recess from the face of a building.

An opening or displacement in the circuit, interrupting the electrical current.

An interruption; a pause; as, a break in friendship; a break in the conversation.

An interruption in continuity in writing or printing, as where there is an omission, an unfilled line, etc.

The first appearing, as of light in the morning; the dawn; as, the break of day; the break of dawn.

A large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash top, with the driver's seat in front and the footman's behind.

A device for checking motion, or for measuring friction. See Brake, n. 9 & 10.

See Commutator.

To impart, as news or information; to broach; - with to, and often with a modified word implying some reserve; as, to break the news gently to the widow; to break a purpose cautiously to a friend.

To strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with violence; as, to break a rope or chain; to break a seal; to break an axle; to break rocks or coal; to break a lock.

To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a package of goods.

To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate.

To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise.

To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate; as, to break silence; to break one's sleep; to break one's journey.

To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as, to break a set.

To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British squares.

To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments.

To exchange for other money or currency of smaller denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill.

To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as, to break flax.

To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind.

To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a fall or blow.

To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or saddle.

To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to ruin.

To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss.

To come apart or divide into two or more pieces, usually with suddenness and violence; to part; to burst asunder.

To open spontaneously, or by pressure from within, as a bubble, a tumor, a seed vessel, a bag.

To burst forth; to make its way; to come to view; to appear; to dawn.

To burst forth violently, as a storm.

To open up; to be scattered; to be dissipated; as, the clouds are breaking.

To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief; as, my heart is breaking.

To fall in business; to become bankrupt.

To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait; as, to break into a run or gallop.

To fail in musical quality; as, a singer's voice breaks when it is strained beyond its compass and a tone or note is not completed, but degenerates into an unmusical sound instead. Also, to change in tone, as a boy's voice at puberty.

To fall out; to terminate friendship.

An opening made by fracture or disruption.

An interruption of continuity; change of direction; as, a break in a wall; a break in the deck of a ship.

A projection or recess from the face of a building.

An opening or displacement in the circuit, interrupting the electrical current.

An interruption; a pause; as, a break in friendship; a break in the conversation.

An interruption in continuity in writing or printing, as where there is an omission, an unfilled line, etc.

The first appearing, as of light in the morning; the dawn; as, the break of day; the break of dawn.

A large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash top, with the driver's seat in front and the footman's behind.

See Commutator.

To impart, as news or information; to broach; - with to, and often with a modified word implying some reserve; as, to break the news gently to the widow; to break a purpose cautiously to a friend.

A device for checking motion, or for measuring friction. See Brake, n. 9 & 10.

To separate into parts or pieces by a blow or strain; to force open; as, to break open a door; to interrupt or disconnect; as, to break silence, to break ranks; to fracture, as a bone; weaken or destroy; as, to break a fall; to scatter; with up; ad, to break up a party; to set aside or fail to obey, as a promise or a law; to degrade, as an officer to the ranks; to tell cautiously; as, to break bad news; tame, as a horse; to dig up; as, to break ground.

To separate into parts or pieces suddenly or violently; to begin or change suddenly; to fail, as in health, strength, credit, etc.; to burst; to burst forth violently, as a storm; to be scattered, as clouds; to cease to be friendly (with).

An opening; an open place; an interruption; a first appearance or marked change; as, the break of day; a pause; a sudden fall in prices; as, a break in the stock market; an abrupt change in the musical quality of a tone; as, a break in a boy's voice.

Broke.

Broken.

Breaking.

To part by force: to shatter: to crush: to tame: to violate: to check by intercepting, as a fall: to interrupt, as silence: to make bankrupt: to divulge.

To part in two: to burst forth: to open or appear, as the morning: to become bankrupt: to fall out, as with a friend:-pa.t. broke; pa.p. broken.

The state of being broken: an opening: a pause or interruption: the dawn.

To come apart; to fall out; to become bankrupt; to appear, as the day.

To part by force; to infringe; to separate; to tame; to make bankrupt.

To make bankrupt.

To fail to keep; violate; transgress.

To degrade, as a military or naval officer; cashier.

To disclose cautiously, as ill tidings.

To reduce to discipline; tame.

To become fractured, as by a blow; part; burst.

To change suddenly; dawn, as the day; begin.

To fail; become bankrupt.

Breakable.

A breach; interruption.

A starting or opening out; as, the break of day.

Interruption of an electric current. See Make.

n. [Anglo-Saxon] An opening made by force;—an interruption; a pause;—a dash indicating a suspension or stoppage of the moaning;—the first appearing of light in the morning;—a carriage, used for training horses.

State of being broken, opening; a pause, an interruption; a line drawn, noting that the sense is suspended.