break through

Slang Dictionary

break definition


  1. n.
    a chance; an opportunity. : Come on, give me a break!
  2. n.
    an escape from prison; a prison breakout. : I hear there's a break planned for tonight.
  3. in.
    [for a news story] to unfold rapidly. (Journalism.) : As the story continues to break, we will bring you the latest.
  4. n.
    a solo played when the rest of the band stops. : This is your break, Andy. Let's hear it, man.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

break through

Penetrate a barrier or obstruction, as in They broke through the wall to get into the vault, or It won't be long before we break through the code and map all human genes. Used literally for going through a physical barrier since about 1400, this phrase began to be used figuratively in the late 1500s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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