Lexic.us

Definition of Break

1. Noun. Some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity. "There was a break in the action when a player was hurt"

2. Verb. Terminate. "Break the cycle of poverty"

3. Noun. An unexpected piece of good luck. "He finally got his big break"

4. Verb. Become separated into pieces or fragments. "These glasses break easily"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart"

5. Verb. Render inoperable or ineffective. "You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!"

6. Noun. (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other. "He studied the faulting of the earth's crust"

7. Verb. Ruin completely. "He busted my radio!"

8. Noun. A personal or social separation (as between opposing factions). "They hoped to avoid a break in relations"

9. Noun. A pause from doing something (as work). "He took time out to recuperate"

10. Verb. Destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments. "The girls break the wooden sticks"; "She broke the match"

11. Noun. The act of breaking something. "The breakage was unavoidable"

12. Verb. Act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises. "Break a promise"

13. Noun. A time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something.

14. Verb. Move away or escape suddenly. "Nobody can break out--this prison is high security"

15. Noun. Breaking of hard tissue such as bone. "The break seems to have been caused by a fall"

16. Verb. Scatter or part. "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"

17. Noun. The occurrence of breaking. "The break in the dam threatened the valley"

18. Verb. Force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up. "Erupt in anger"

19. Noun. An abrupt change in the tone or register of the voice (as at puberty or due to emotion). "Then there was a break in her voice"

20. Verb. Prevent completion. "Break off the negotiations"

21. Verb. Enter someone's (virtual or real) property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act. "Who broke into my account last night?"

22. Noun. The opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool.

23. Noun. (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving. "He was up two breaks in the second set"

24. Verb. Make submissive, obedient, or useful. "I broke in the new intern"

25. Noun. An act of delaying or interrupting the continuity. "There was a gap in his account"

26. Verb. Fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns. "This sentence violates the rules of syntax"

27. Noun. A sudden dash. "He made a break for the open door"

28. Verb. Surpass in excellence. "Break a record"

29. Noun. Any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare. "The break in the eighth frame cost him the match"

30. 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. "They break that there was a traffic accident "; "Unwrap the evidence in the murder case"

31. Noun. An escape from jail. "The breakout was carefully planned"

32. Verb. Come into being. "Voices broke in the air"

33. Verb. Stop operating or functioning. "These cars won't break "; "Her eyesight went after the accident"

34. Verb. Interrupt a continued activity. "She had broken with the traditional patterns"

35. Verb. Make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing. "The ranks broke"

36. Verb. Curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves. "The surf broke"

37. Verb. Lessen in force or effect. "Break a fall"

38. Verb. Be broken in. "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress"

39. Verb. Come to an end. "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"

40. Verb. Vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity. "The flat plain was broken by tall mesas"

41. Verb. Cause to give up a habit. "She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes"

42. Verb. Give up. "Break cigarette smoking"

43. Verb. Come forth or begin from a state of latency. "The first winter storm broke over New York"

44. Verb. Happen or take place. "Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months"

45. Verb. Cause the failure or ruin of. "This play will either make or break the playwright"

46. Verb. Invalidate by judicial action. "The will was broken"

47. Verb. Discontinue an association or relation; go different ways. "My friend and I split up"

48. Verb. Assign to a lower position; reduce in rank. "He was broken down to Sergeant"

49. Verb. Reduce to bankruptcy. "The slump in the financial markets smashed him"

50. Verb. Change directions suddenly.

51. Verb. Emerge from the surface of a body of water. "The whales broke"

52. Verb. Break down, literally or metaphorically. "The business is going to break "; "The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice"

53. Verb. Do a break dance. "Sam and Sue break"; "Kids were break-dancing at the street corner"

54. Verb. Exchange for smaller units of money. "I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy"

55. Verb. Destroy the completeness of a set of related items. "The book dealer would not break the set"

56. Verb. Make the opening shot that scatters the balls.

57. Verb. Separate from a clinch, in boxing. "The referee broke the boxers"

58. Verb. Go to pieces. "The old chair finally fell apart completely"

59. Verb. Break a piece from a whole. "Break a branch from a tree"

60. Verb. Become punctured or penetrated. "The skin broke"

61. Verb. Pierce or penetrate. "The blade broke her skin"

62. Verb. Be released or become known; of news. "News of her death broke in the morning"

63. Verb. Cease an action temporarily. "Let's break for lunch"

64. Verb. Interrupt the flow of current in. "Break a circuit"

65. Verb. Undergo breaking. "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages"

66. Verb. Find a flaw in. "Break down a proof"

67. Verb. Find the solution or key to. "Break the code"

68. Verb. Change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another. "Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children"

69. Verb. Happen. "These political movements recrudesce from time to time"

70. Verb. Become fractured; break or crack on the surface only. "These glasses break easily"; "The glass cracked when it was heated"

71. Verb. Crack; of the male voice in puberty. "His voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir"

72. Verb. Fall sharply. "The stock market is going to break "; "Stock prices broke"

73. Verb. Fracture a bone of. "Did he break his foot? "; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"

74. Verb. Diminish or discontinue abruptly. "The patient's fever broke last night"

75. Verb. Weaken or destroy in spirit or body. "A man broken by the terrible experience of near-death"

Definition of Break

1. v. t. 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.

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

3. n. An opening made by fracture or disruption.

Definition of Break

1. Verb. (ergative) To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly. ¹

2. Verb. (transitive US) To divide (something, often money) into smaller units. ¹

3. Verb. (transitive) To cause (a person) to lose his or her spirit or will; to crush the spirits of; to ruin (a person) emotionally. ¹

4. Verb. To cause an animal to lose its will, to tame. ¹

5. Verb. To cause (a habit) to no longer exist. ¹

6. Verb. To ruin financially. ¹

7. Verb. (transitive) To do that which is forbidden by (a rule, promise, etc.). ¹

8. Verb. (intransitive of a fever) To pass the most dangerous part of the illness; to go down, temperaturewise. ¹

9. Verb. (transitive gaming slang) To design or use a powerful (yet legal) strategy that unbalances the game in a player's favor. ¹

10. Verb. (ergative) To stop, or to cause to stop, functioning properly or altogether. ¹

11. Verb. (transitive) To cause (a barrier) to no longer bar. ¹

12. Verb. (intransitive of a wave of water) To collapse into surf, after arriving in shallow water. A wave '''breaking'''. ¹

13. Verb. (intransitive of a storm or spell of weather) To end. ¹

14. Verb. (intransitive) To interrupt or cease one's work or occupation temporarily. ¹

15. Verb. (transitive) To interrupt (a fall) by inserting something so that the falling object not hit something else beneath. ¹

16. Verb. (transitive ergative) To disclose or make known an item of news, etc. ¹

17. Verb. (intransitive of morning) To arrive. ¹

18. Verb. (intransitive of a sound) To become audible suddenly. ¹

19. Verb. (transitive) To change a steady state abruptly. ¹

20. Verb. (copulative informal) To suddenly become. ¹

21. Verb. (intransitive) Of a voice, to alter in type: in men generally to go up, in women sometimes to go down; to crack. ¹

22. Verb. (transitive) To surpass or do better than (a specific number), to do better than (a record), setting a new record. ¹

23. Verb. (sports and games): ¹

24. Verb. (transitive military most often in the passive tense) To demote, to reduce the military rank of. ¹

25. Verb. (transitive) To end (a connection), to disconnect. ¹

26. Verb. (intransitive of an emulsion) To demulsify. ¹

27. Verb. (intransitive sports) To counter-attack ¹

28. Noun. An instance of breaking something into two pieces. ¹

29. Noun. A physical space that opens up in something or between two things. ¹

30. Noun. (music) A short section of music, often between verses, in which some performers stop while others continue. ¹

31. Noun. A rest or pause, usually from work; a breaktime. ¹

32. Noun. A temporary split (with a romantic partner). ¹

33. Noun. An interval or intermission between two parts of a performance, for example a theatre show, broadcast, or sports game. ¹

34. Noun. A significant change in circumstance, attitude, perception, or focus of attention: big break, lucky break, bad break. ¹

35. Noun. (British weather) a change; the end of a spell of persistent good or bad weather ¹

36. Noun. The beginning (of the morning). ¹

37. Noun. An act of escaping. ¹

38. Noun. (surfing) A place where waves break (that is, where waves pitch or spill forward creating white water). ¹

39. Noun. (sports and games): ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Break

1. to reduce to fragments [v BROKE, BROKEN, BREAKING, BREAKS]

Medical Definition of Break

1. 1. 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. 2. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a package of goods. 3. To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate. "Katharine, break thy mind to me." (Shak) 4. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise. " Out, out, hyena! these are thy wonted arts . . . To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray." (Milton) 5. 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. "Go, release them, Ariel;" "My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore." (Shak) 6. To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as, to break a set. 7. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British squares. 8. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments. "The victim broke in pieces the musical instruments with which he had solaced the hours of captivity." (Prescott) 9. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill. 10. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as, to break flax. 11. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind. "An old man, broken with the storms of state." (Shak) 12. To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a fall or blow. "I'll rather leap down first, and break your fall." (Dryden) 13. 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. 14. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or saddle. "To break a colt." "Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute?" (Shak) 15. To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to ruin. "With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks, Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks." (Dryden) 16. To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss. "I see a great officer broken." (Swift) With prepositions or adverbs: To break down. To crush; to overwhelm; as, to break down one's strength; to break down opposition. To remove, or open a way through, by breaking; as, to break down a door or wall. To break in. To force in; as, to break in a door. To train; to discipline; as, a horse well broken in. To break of, to rid of; to cause to abandon; as, to break one of a habit. To break off. To separate by breaking; as, to break off a twig. To stop suddenly; to abandon. "Break off thy sins by righteousness." To break open, to open by breaking. "Open the door, or I will break it open." To break out, to take or force out by breaking; as, to break out a pane of glass. To break out a cargo, to unstow a cargo, so as to unload it easily. To break through. To make an opening through, as, as by violence or the force of gravity; to pass violently through; as, to break through the enemy's lines; to break through the ice. To disregard; as, to break through the ceremony. To break up. To separate into parts; to plow (new or fallow ground). "Break up this capon." "Break up your fallow ground." (b) To dissolve; to put an end to. "Break up the court." To break (one) all up, to unsettle or disconcert completely; to upset. With an immediate object: - To break the back. To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable totally. To get through the worst part of; as, to break the back of a difficult undertaking. To break bulk, to destroy the entirety of a load by removing a portion of it; to begin to unload; also, to transfer in detail, as from boats to cars. To break cover, to burst forth from a protecting concealment, as game when hunted. To break a deer or stag, to cut it up and apportion the parts among those entitled to a share. To break fast, to partake of food after abstinence. See Breakfast. To break ground. To open the earth as for planting; to commence excavation, as for building, siege operations, and the like; as, to break ground for a foundation, a canal, or a railroad. To begin to execute any plan. To remove or set aside with violence and a felonious intent any part of a house or of the fastenings provided to secure it. To break the ice, to get through first difficulties; to overcome obstacles and make a beginning; to introduce a subject. To break jail, to escape from confinement in jail, usually by forcible means. To break a jest, to utter a jest. "Patroclus . . . The livelong day break scurril jests." To break joints, to lay or arrange bricks, shingles, etc, so that the joints in one course shall not coincide with those in the preceding course. To break a lance, to engage in a tilt or contest. To break the neck, to dislocate the joints of the neck. To break no squares, to create no trouble. To break a path, road, etc, to open a way through obstacles by force or labour. To break upon a wheel, to execute or torture, as a criminal by stretching him upon a wheel, and breaking his limbs with an iron bar; a mode of punishment formerly employed in some countries. To break wind, to give vent to wind from the anus. Synonym: To dispart, rend, tear, shatter, batter, violate, infringe, demolish, destroy, burst, dislocate. Origin: broke, (Brake); Broken, (Broke); Breaking] [OE. Breken, AS. Brecan; akin to OS. Brekan, D. Breken, OHG. Brehhan, G. Brechen, Icel.braka to creak, Sw. Braka, brakka to crack, Dan. Braekke to break, Goth. Brikan to break, L. Frangere. Cf. Bray to pound, Breach, Fragile. 1. To come apart or divide into two or more pieces, usually with suddenness and violence; to part; to burst asunder. 2. To open spontaneously, or by pressure from within, as a bubble, a tumour, a seed vessel, a bag. "Else the bottle break, and the wine runneth out." (Math. Ix. 17) 3. To burst forth; to make its way; to come to view; to appear; to dawn. "The day begins to break, and night is fied." (Shak) "And from the turf a fountain broke, and gurgled at our feet." (Wordswoorth) 4. To burst forth violently, as a storm. " The clouds are still above; and, while I speak, A second deluge o'er our head may break." (Shak) 5. To open up. To be scattered; t be dissipated; as, the clouds are breaking. "At length the darkness begins to break." (Macawlay) 6. To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength. "See how the dean begins to break; Poor gentleman he droops apace." (Swift) 7. To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief; as, my heart is breaking. 8. To fall in business; to become bankrupt. "He that puts all upon adventures doth oftentimes break, and come to poverty." (Bacn) 9. To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait; as, to break into a run or gallop. 10. 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. 11. To fall out; to terminate friendship. "To break upon the score of danger or expense is to be mean and narrow-spirited." (Collier) With prepositions or adverbs: - To break away, to disengage one's self abruptly; to come or go away against resistance. "Fear me not, man; I will not break away." (Shak) To break down. To come down by breaking; as, the coach broke down. To fail in any undertaking. "He had broken down almost at the outset." (Thackeray) To break forth, to issue; to come out suddenly, as sound, light, etc. "Then shall thy light break forth as the morning." Often with into in expressing or giving vent to one's feelings. "Break forth into singing, ye mountains." To break from, to go away from abruptly. "This radiant from the circling crowd he broke." (Dryden) To break into, to enter by breaking; as,

Lexicographical Neighbors of Break

breadth-first search breadth index breadthen breadthened breadthening breadthens breadthless breadths breadthways breadthwise

breadwinner breadwinners breadwinning breadwinnings bready break (current term) break-axe break-building break-bulk break-circuit

break-dance break-even break-even point break-even points break-evens break-in break-ins break-up break a law break a leg

Literary usage of Break

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. A Manual of physiology: With Practical Exercises by George Neil Stewart (1905)
"Difference of Make and break Shocks from an Induction Machine. ... It will be felt first at break. If the secondary is pushed still further up, ..."

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