| chat, to converse |
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
break (breɪk) ![]() | |
| —vb (when intr | |
| 1. | to separate or become separated into two or more pieces: this cup is broken |
| 2. | to damage or become damaged so as to be inoperative: my radio is broken |
| 3. | to crack or become cracked without separating |
| 4. | to burst or cut the surface of (skin, etc) |
| 5. | to discontinue or become discontinued: they broke for lunch; to break a journey |
| 6. | to disperse or become dispersed: the clouds broke |
| 7. | (tr) to fail to observe (an agreement, promise, law, etc): to break one's word |
| 8. | ( |
| 9. | to disclose or be disclosed: he broke the news gently |
| 10. | (tr) to fracture (a bone) in (a limb, etc) |
| 11. | (tr) to divide (something complete or perfect): to break a set of books |
| 12. | to bring or come to an end: the summer weather broke at last |
| 13. | (tr) to bring to an end by or as if by force: to break a strike |
| 14. | to escape (from): he broke jail; he broke out of jail |
| 15. | to weaken or overwhelm or be weakened or overwhelmed, as in spirit |
| 16. | (tr) to cut through or penetrate: a cry broke the silence |
| 17. | (tr) to improve on or surpass: to break a record |
| 18. | to accustom (a horse) to the bridle and saddle, to being ridden, etc |
| 19. | to cause (a person) to give up (a habit): this cure will break you of smoking |
| 20. | (tr) to weaken the impact or force of: this net will break his fall |
| 21. | (tr) to decipher: to break a code |
| 22. | (tr) to lose the order of: to break ranks |
| 23. | (tr) to reduce to poverty or the state of bankruptcy |
| 24. | to obtain, give, or receive smaller units in exchange for; change: to break a pound note |
| 25. | chiefly (tr) military to demote to a lower rank |
| 26. | (intr |
| 27. | (intr) to come into being: light broke over the mountains |
| 28. | (intr |
| a. to burst into song, laughter, etc | |
| b. to change to a faster pace | |
| 29. | (tr) to open with explosives: to break a safe |
| 30. | (intr) of waves |
| a. ( | |
| b. to collapse into foam or surf | |
| 31. | (intr) (esp of fish) to appear above the surface of the water |
| 32. | (intr) (of the amniotic fluid surrounding an unborn baby) to be released when the amniotic sac ruptures in the first stage of labour: her waters have broken |
| 33. | informal chiefly (US) (intr) to turn out in a specified manner: things are breaking well |
| 34. | (intr) (of prices, esp stock exchange quotations) to fall sharply |
| 35. | (intr) to make a sudden effort, as in running, horse racing, etc |
| 36. | (intr) cricket (of a ball) to change direction on bouncing |
| 37. | (tr) cricket (of a player) to knock down at least one bail from (a wicket) |
| 38. | (intr) billiards, snooker to scatter the balls at the start of a game |
| 39. | (intr) horse racing to commence running in a race: they broke even |
| 40. | (intr) boxing, wrestling (of two fighters) to separate from a clinch |
| 41. | (intr) music |
| a. (of the male voice) to undergo a change in register, quality, and range at puberty | |
| b. (of the voice or some instruments) to undergo a change in tone, quality, etc, when changing registers | |
| 42. | (intr) phonetics (of a vowel) to turn into a diphthong, esp as a development in the language |
| 43. | (tr) to open the breech of (certain firearms) by snapping the barrel away from the butt on its hinge |
| 44. | (tr) Compare make to interrupt the flow of current in (an electrical circuit) |
| 45. | informal chiefly (US) (intr) to become successful; make a breakthrough |
| 46. | break bread |
| a. to eat a meal, esp with others | |
| b. Christianity to administer or participate in Holy Communion | |
| 47. | break camp to pack up equipment and leave a camp |
| 48. | break ground, break new ground to do something that has not been done before |
| 49. | to overwork or work very hard |
| 50. | break the back of to complete the greatest or hardest part of (a task) |
| 51. | break the bank to ruin financially or deplete the resources of a bank (as in gambling) |
| 52. | break the ice |
| a. to relieve shyness or reserve, esp between strangers | |
| b. to be the first of a group to do something | |
| 53. | break the mould to make a change that breaks an established habit, pattern, etc |
| 54. | tennis break service to win a game in which an opponent is serving |
| 55. | break wind to emit wind from the anus |
| —n | |
| 56. | the act or result of breaking; fracture |
| 57. | a crack formed as the result of breaking |
| 58. | a brief respite or interval between two actions: a break from one's toil |
| 59. | a sudden rush, esp to escape: to make a break for freedom |
| 60. | a breach in a relationship: she has made a break from her family |
| 61. | any sudden interruption in a continuous action |
| 62. | (Brit) US and Canadian equivalent: recess a short period between classes at school |
| 63. | informal a fortunate opportunity, esp to prove oneself |
| 64. | informal a piece of (good or bad) luck |
| 65. | (esp in a stock exchange) a sudden and substantial decline in prices |
| 66. | prosody a pause in a line of verse; caesura |
| 67. | billiards, snooker |
| a. a series of successful shots during one turn | |
| b. the points scored in such a series | |
| 68. | billiards, snooker |
| a. the opening shot with the cue ball that scatters the placed balls | |
| b. the right to take this first shot | |
| 69. | tennis service break, Also called: break of serve the act or instance of breaking an opponent's service |
| 70. | one of the intervals in a sporting contest |
| 71. | horse racing the start of a race: an even break |
| 72. | (in tenpin bowling) failure to knock down all the pins after the second attempt |
| 73. | a. jazz a short usually improvised solo passage |
| b. an instrumental passage in a pop song | |
| 74. | a discontinuity in an electrical circuit |
| 75. | access to a radio channel by a citizens' band operator |
| 76. | a variant spelling of brake |
| —interj | |
| 77. | boxing, wrestling a command by a referee for two opponents to separate |
| [Old English brecan; related to Old Frisian breka, Gothic brikan, Old High German brehhan, Latin frangere Sanskrit bhráj bursting forth] | |
break definition
|
break
In addition to the idioms beginning with break, also see get a break; give someone a break; make a break for it; make or break; never give a sucker an even break; take a break; tough break. Also see under broke.
break
either of two types of vehicle. One is a heavy four-wheeled carriage frame used for the training and exercising of horses, either singly or in teams of two or four. It has no body parts except for a high seat upon which the driver sits and a small platform for a helper immediately behind.
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