noun
adj
verb
adv

Textual thesaurus for "break"

(noun) jailbreak, prison-breaking, prisonbreak, breakout, gaolbreak

an escape from jail

the breakout was carefully planned


(noun) open frame

any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare

the break in the eighth frame cost him the match


(noun) breakage, breaking

the act of breaking something

the breakage was unavoidable


(noun) gap, interruption, disruption

an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity

it was presented without commercial breaks; there was a gap in his account


(noun) break of serve

(tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving

he was up two breaks in the second set


(noun) recess, respite, time out

a pause from doing something (as work)

we took a 10-minute break; he took time out to recuperate


(noun) breach, rift, severance, rupture, falling out

a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)

they hoped to avoid a break in relations


(noun) happy chance, good luck

an unexpected piece of good luck

he finally got his big break


(noun) interruption

some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity

the telephone is an annoying interruption; there was a break in the action when a player was hurt


(noun) fault, faulting, fracture, geological fault, shift

(geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other

they built it right over a geological fault; he studied the faulting of the earth's crust


(noun) fracture

breaking of hard tissue such as bone

it was a nasty fracture; the break seems to have been caused by a fall


(noun) pause, intermission, interruption, suspension

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


(verb) fracture

fracture a bone of

I broke my foot while playing hockey


(verb) break in

make submissive, obedient, or useful

The horse was tough to break; I broke in the new intern


(verb) separate, split up, come apart, fall apart

become separated into pieces or fragments

The figurine broke; The freshly baked loaf fell apart


(verb) check, crack

become fractured; break or crack on the surface only

The glass cracked when it was heated


(verb) develop, recrudesce

happen

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


(verb) break off, stop, discontinue

prevent completion

stop the project; break off the negotiations


(verb) interrupt

terminate

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


(verb) weaken, soften, damp, dampen

lessen in force or effect

soften a shock; break a fall


(verb) break down, die, conk out, go, go bad, give out, give way, fail

stop operating or functioning

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) pause, intermit

cease an action temporarily

We pause for station identification; let's break for lunch


(verb) unwrap, expose, give away, reveal, let on, let out, bring out, disclose, discover, divulge

make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret

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


(verb) get around, get out

be released or become known; of news

News of her death broke in the morning


(verb) better

surpass in excellence

She bettered her own record; break a record


(verb) snap off, break off

break a piece from a whole

break a branch from a tree


(verb) fall apart, bust, wear, wear out

go to pieces

The lawn mower finally broke; The gears wore out; The old chair finally fell apart completely


(verb) bust

ruin completely

He busted my radio!


(verb) break up

destroy the completeness of a set of related items

The book dealer would not break the set


(verb) erupt, burst

force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up

break into tears; erupt in anger


(verb) break dance, break-dance

do a break dance

Kids were break-dancing at the street corner


(verb) founder, fall in, cave in, collapse, give, give way

break down, literally or metaphorically

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) break away, break out

move away or escape suddenly

The horses broke from the stable; Three inmates broke jail; Nobody can break out--this prison is high security


(verb) bankrupt, smash, ruin

reduce to bankruptcy

My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!; The slump in the financial markets smashed him


(verb) demote, kick downstairs, relegate, bump

assign to a lower position; reduce in rank

She was demoted because she always speaks up; He was broken down to Sergeant


(verb) part, separate, split, split up, break up

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


(verb) break away

interrupt a continued activity

She had broken with the traditional patterns


(verb) go against, infract, offend, breach, transgress, violate

act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises

offend all laws of humanity; violate the basic laws or human civilization; break a law; break a promise


(verb) break in

enter someone's (virtual or real) 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!; who broke into my account last night?


(verb) violate, go against

fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns

This sentence violates the rules of syntax