break

break
1. verb
1)

the mirror broke

Syn:
shatter, smash, crack, snap, fracture, fragment, splinter, fall to bits, fall to pieces; split, burst; informal bust
2)

she had broken her leg

Syn:
fracture, crack
Ant:
mend
3)

the bite had barely broken the skin

Syn:
pierce, puncture, penetrate, perforate; cut
4)

the coffee machine has broken

Syn:
stop working, break down, give out, go wrong, malfunction, crash; informal go kaput, conk out, go/be on the blink, go/be on the fritz, give up the ghost
5)

traders who break the law

Syn:
contravene, violate, fail to observe, fail to comply with, infringe, breach; defy, flout, disobey, fly in the face of
Ant:
abide by, keep
6)

his concentration was broken

Syn:
interrupt, disturb, interfere with
7)

they broke for coffee

Syn:
stop, pause, have a rest, recess; informal take a breather, take five
Ant:
resume
8)

a pile of carpets broke his fall

Syn:
cushion, soften the impact of, take the edge off
9)

the movie broke box-office records

Syn:
exceed, surpass, beat, better, cap, top, outdo, outstrip, eclipse
10)

habits are difficult to break

Syn:
give up, relinquish, drop; informal kick, shake, quit
11)

the strategies used to break the union

Syn:
destroy, crush, quash, defeat, vanquish, overcome, overpower, overwhelm, suppress, cripple; weaken, subdue, cow, undermine
12)

her self-control finally broke

Syn:
give way, crack, cave in, yield, go to pieces
13)

four thousand dollars wouldn't break him

Syn:
bankrupt, ruin, pauperize
14)

he tried to break the news gently

Syn:
reveal, disclose, divulge, impart, tell; announce, release
15)

he broke the encryption code

Syn:
decipher, decode, decrypt, unravel, work out; informal figure out
16)

the day broke fair and cloudless

Syn:
dawn, begin, start, emerge, appear
17)

a political scandal broke

Syn:
erupt, break out
18)

the weather broke

Syn:
change, alter, shift
19)

waves broke against the rocks

Syn:
crash, dash, beat, pound, lash
20)

her voice broke as she relived the experience

Syn:
falter, quaver, quiver, tremble, shake
2. noun
1)

the magazine has been published without a break since 1950

Syn:
interruption, interval, gap, hiatus; discontinuation, suspension, disruption, cutoff; stop, stoppage, cessation
2)

a break in the weather

Syn:
change, alteration, variation
3)

let's have a break

Syn:
rest, respite, recess; stop, pause; interval, intermission; informal breather, time out, down time; coffee break
4)

a weekend break

Syn:
time off, vacation, holiday, leave, getaway
5)

a break in diplomatic relations

Syn:
rift, schism, split, breakup, severance, rupture
6)

the actress got her first break in 1951

Syn:
opportunity, chance, opening
•

Thesaurus of popular words. 2014.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Break — (br[=a]k), v. t. [imp. {broke} (br[=o]k), (Obs. {Brake}); p. p. {Broken} (br[=o] k n), (Obs. {Broke}); p. pr. & vb. n. {Breaking}.] [OE. breken, AS. brecan; akin to OS. brekan, D. breken, OHG. brehhan, G. brechen, Icel. braka to creak, Sw. braka …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Break — (br[=a]k), v. i. 1. To come apart or divide into two or more pieces, usually with suddenness and violence; to part; to burst asunder. [1913 Webster] 2. To open spontaneously, or by pressure from within, as a bubble, a tumor, a seed vessel, a bag …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • break — ► VERB (past broke; past part. broken) 1) separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain. 2) make or become inoperative; stop working. 3) interrupt (a continuity, sequence, or course). 4) fail to observe (a law, regulation, or… …   English terms dictionary

  • break — vb Break, crack, burst, bust, snap, shatter, shiver are comparable as general terms meaning fundamentally to come apart or cause to come apart. Break basically implies the operation of a stress or strain that will cause a rupture, a fracture, a… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • break — [brāk] vt. broke, broken, breaking [ME breken < OE brecan < IE base * bhreg > BREACH, BREECH, Ger brechen, L frangere] 1. to cause to come apart by force; split or crack sharply into pieces; smash; burst 2. a) …   English World dictionary

  • break — / brāk/ vb broke / brōk/, bro·ken, / brō kən/, break·ing, / brā kiŋ/ vt 1 a: violate transgress break the law …   Law dictionary

  • break — [n1] fissure, opening breach, cleft, crack, discontinuity, disjunction, division, fracture, gap, gash, hole, rent, rift, rupture, schism, split, tear; concepts 230,757 Ant. association, attachment, binding, combination, fastening, juncture break… …   New thesaurus

  • Break — (br[=a]k), n. [See {Break}, v. t., and cf. {Brake} (the instrument), {Breach}, {Brack} a crack.] 1. An opening made by fracture or disruption. [1913 Webster] 2. An interruption of continuity; change of direction; as, a break in a wall; a break in …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • break-up — break ups also breakup 1) N COUNT: usu N of n, n N The break up of a marriage, relationship, or association is the act of it finishing or coming to an end because the people involved decide that it is not working successfully. Since the break up… …   English dictionary

  • break up — {v.} 1. To break into pieces. * /The workmen broke up the pavement to dig up the pipes under it./ * /River ice breaks up in the spring./ 2. {informal} To lose or destroy spirit or self control. Usually used in the passive. * /Mrs. Lawrence was… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • break up — {v.} 1. To break into pieces. * /The workmen broke up the pavement to dig up the pipes under it./ * /River ice breaks up in the spring./ 2. {informal} To lose or destroy spirit or self control. Usually used in the passive. * /Mrs. Lawrence was… …   Dictionary of American idioms

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