noun
the act of breaking something
Synonyms
Examples
- the breakage was unavoidable
verb
terminate
Synonyms
Examples
- She interrupted her pregnancy
- break a lucky streak
- break the cycle of poverty
verb
become separated into pieces or fragments
Synonyms
Examples
- The figurine broke
- The freshly baked loaf fell apart
verb
render inoperable or ineffective
Synonyms
Examples
- You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!
verb
ruin completely
Synonyms
Examples
- He busted my radio!
verb
destroy the integrity of
Synonyms
Examples
- usually by force
- cause to separate into pieces or fragments
- He broke the glass plate
- She broke the match
verb
act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
Synonyms
Examples
- offend all laws of humanity
- violate the basic laws or human civilization
- break a law
- break a promise
verb
move away or escape suddenly
Synonyms
break
break out
break away
Examples
- The horses broke from the stable
- Three inmates broke jail
- Nobody can break out--this prison is high security
verb
scatter or part
Synonyms
Examples
- The clouds broke after the heavy downpour
verb
force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up
Synonyms
Examples
- break into tears
- erupt in anger
verb
prevent completion
Synonyms
Examples
- stop the project
- break off the negotiations
verb
enter someone's (virtual or real) property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act
Synonyms
Examples
- Someone broke in while I was on vacation
- They broke into my car and stole my radio!
- who broke into my account last night?
verb
make submissive, obedient, or useful
Synonyms
Examples
- The horse was tough to break
- I broke in the new intern
verb
fail to agree with
Synonyms
Examples
- be in violation of
- as of rules or patterns
- This sentence violates the rules of syntax
verb
surpass in excellence
Synonyms
Examples
- She bettered her own record
- break a record
verb
make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret
Synonyms
Examples
- The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold
- The actress won't reveal how old she is
- bring out the truth
- he broke the news to her
- unwrap the evidence in the murder case
- The newspaper uncovered the President's illegal dealings
verb
come into being
Synonyms
Examples
- light broke over the horizon
- Voices broke in the air
verb
stop operating or functioning
Synonyms
Examples
- The engine finally went
- The car died on the road
- The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town
- The coffee maker broke
- The engine failed on the way to town
- her eyesight went after the accident
verb
interrupt a continued activity
Synonyms
Examples
- She had broken with the traditional patterns
verb
make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing
Synonyms
Examples
- The ranks broke
verb
curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves
Synonyms
Examples
- The surf broke
verb
lessen in force or effect
Synonyms
Examples
- soften a shock
- break a fall
verb
be broken in
Synonyms
Examples
- If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress
verb
come to an end
Synonyms
Examples
- The heat wave finally broke yesterday
verb
vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity
Synonyms
Examples
- The flat plain was broken by tall mesas
verb
cause to give up a habit
Synonyms
Examples
- She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes
verb
give up
Synonyms
Examples
- break cigarette smoking
verb
come forth or begin from a state of latency
Synonyms
Examples
- The first winter storm broke over New York
verb
happen or take place
Synonyms
Examples
- Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months
verb
cause the failure or ruin of
Synonyms
Examples
- His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage
- This play will either make or break the playwright
verb
invalidate by judicial action
Synonyms
Examples
- The will was broken
verb
discontinue an association or relation
Synonyms
Examples
- 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
verb
assign to a lower position
Synonyms
Examples
- reduce in rank
- She was demoted because she always speaks up
- He was broken down to Sergeant
verb
reduce to bankruptcy
Synonyms
Examples
- My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!
- The slump in the financial markets smashed him
verb
change directions suddenly
Synonyms
verb
emerge from the surface of a body of water
Synonyms
Examples
- The whales broke
verb
break down, literally or metaphorically
Synonyms
Examples
- The wall collapsed
- The business collapsed
- The dam broke
- The roof collapsed
- The wall gave in
- The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice
verb
do a break dance
Synonyms
break dance
break-dance
break
Examples
- Kids were break-dancing at the street corner
verb
exchange for smaller units of money
Synonyms
Examples
- I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy
verb
destroy the completeness of a set of related items
Synonyms
Examples
- The book dealer would not break the set
verb
make the opening shot that scatters the balls
Synonyms
verb
separate from a clinch, in boxing
Synonyms
Examples
- The referee broke the boxers
verb
go to pieces
Synonyms
Examples
- The lawn mower finally broke
- The gears wore out
- The old chair finally fell apart completely
verb
break a piece from a whole
Synonyms
Examples
- break a branch from a tree
verb
become punctured or penetrated
Synonyms
Examples
- The skin broke
verb
pierce or penetrate
Synonyms
Examples
- The blade broke her skin
verb
be released or become known
Synonyms
Examples
- of news
- News of her death broke in the morning
verb
cease an action temporarily
Synonyms
Examples
- We pause for station identification
- let's break for lunch
verb
interrupt the flow of current in
Synonyms
Examples
- break a circuit
verb
undergo breaking
Synonyms
Examples
- The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages
verb
find a flaw in
Synonyms
Examples
- break an alibi
- break down a proof
verb
find the solution or key to
Synonyms
Examples
- break the code
verb
change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another
Synonyms
Examples
- Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children
verb
happen
Synonyms
Examples
- Report the news as it develops
- These political movements recrudesce from time to time
verb
become fractured
Synonyms
Examples
- break or crack on the surface only
- The glass cracked when it was heated
verb
crack
Synonyms
Examples
- of the male voice in puberty
- his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir
verb
fall sharply
Synonyms
Examples
- stock prices broke
verb
fracture a bone of
Synonyms
Examples
- I broke my foot while playing hockey
verb
diminish or discontinue abruptly
Synonyms
Examples
- The patient's fever broke last night
verb
weaken or destroy in spirit or body
Synonyms
Examples
- His resistance was broken
- a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death