From Middle English breken, from Old English brecan (“to break”), from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”). Doublet of bray. Cognates Cognates of Germanic origin include Scots brek (“to break”), West Frisian brekke (“to break”), Dutch breken (“to break”), Low German breken (“to break”), German brechen (“to break”), French broyer (“to crush, grind”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (brikan, “to break, destroy”), Norwegian brek (“desire, yearning”). Also cognate with Albanian brishtë (“fragile”), Latin frangō (“break, break up, shatter”, verb), whence English fracture and other terms – fragile, frail, fraction, and fragment. The modern pronunciation shows an irregular change of Early Modern English /ɛː/ to /eɪ/ in the standard language; contrast this with the development of other words such as speak and wreak.
Ergative To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.
If the vase falls to the floor, it might break.
In order to tend to the accident victim, he will break the window of the car.
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First, marinate the tofu. In a bowl, whisk the kecap manis, chilli sauce, and sesame oil together. Cut the tofu into strips about 1cm thick, mix gently (so it doesn't break) with the marinade and leave in the fridge for half an hour.2012 May 8, Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, Random House, →ISBN, page 79:
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Ergative To crack or fracture (bone) under a physical strain.
His ribs broke under the weight of the rocks piled on his chest.
He slipped on the ice and broke his leg.
3
To divide (something, often money) into smaller units.
Can you break a hundred-dollar bill for me?
The wholesaler broke the container loads into palettes and boxes for local retailers.
4
To cause (a person or animal) to lose spirit or will; to crush the spirits of.
Her child’s death broke Angela.
Interrogators have used many forms of torture to break prisoners of war.
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The interrogator hoped to break her to get her testimony against her accomplices.
If I had called, and had answered me, yet would I not beleeue that he had hearkened vnto my voice: For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 9:16–17:
An old man, broken with the storms of state, Is come to lay his weary bones among ye; Give him a little earth for charity1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
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To turn an animal into a beast of burden.
Colonel: See, gentlemen? Any horse could be broken.2002, John Fusco, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron:
You have to break an elephant before you can use it as an animal of burden.
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To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief.
My heart is breaking.
Two days later they transferred her to another prison to separate us. I broke. My life was gone, so I thought.1986 February 1, Kathy Jo Elliott, “Solid As A Rock”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 28, page 5:
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To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate.
I’ve got to break this habit I have of biting my nails.
to break silence; to break one's sleep; to break one’s journey
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I had won four games in a row, but now you've broken my streak of luck.
Go, release them, Ariel; / My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore.1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
In July Alexander broke the run and went on tour, as was his custom. He believed in keeping in touch with provincial audiences and how wise he was!1958, Walter Macqueen-Pope, St. James's: Theatre of Distinction, page 134:
After Camberwell he broke the play's season and brought it back in the autumn with a few revisions and a noticeably strengthened cast but without any special success.1986, Kurt Gänzl, The British Musical Theatre: 1865-1914, page 610:
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To ruin financially.
The recession broke some small businesses.
With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks, / Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks.1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Seventh Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC:
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Obsolete To fail in business; to go broke, to become bankrupt.
He that puts all upon adventures doth oftentimes break, and come to poverty.1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Riches”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
‘I knew he was in some such low way—He broke did not he?’1791-92, Jane Austen, ‘A Collection of Letters’, Juvenilia
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Business, Finance Of prices on the stock exchange: to fall suddenly.
With a few exceptions, stock prices tend to follow the overall market averages. When you have a market decline, therefore, many stocks share the same overall chart pattern. Prices break and go sideways for a period of time.2008, George Angell, Small Stocks for Big Profits:
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To violate; to fail to adhere to.
When you go to Vancouver, promise me you won't break the law.
He broke his vows by cheating on his wife.
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to break one’s word
Time travel would break the laws of physics.
Out, out Hyæna; theſe are thy wonted arts, [...] To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray,1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 48, lines 749–751:
› To end a fever.
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Of a fever To go down, in terms of temperature, indicating that the most dangerous part of the illness has passed.
Susan's fever broke at about 3 AM, and the doctor said the worst was over.
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To successfully treat or resist (a fever).
The treatment broke my fever.
Carl broke his fever this morning.
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To end.
Of a spell of settled weather
The forecast says the hot weather will break by midweek.
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Of a storm To begin or end.
We ran to find shelter before the storm broke.
Around midday the storm broke, and the afternoon was calm and sunny.
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Of morning To arrive.
Dawn; day etc.; dawn; day etc.
Morning has broken.
The day broke crisp and clear.
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The day begins to break, and night is fled.1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
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Games, GamingSlang To render (a game) unchallenging by altering its rules or exploiting loopholes or weaknesses in them in a way that gives a player an unfair advantage.
Changing the rules to let white have three extra queens would break chess.
I broke the RPG by training every member of my party to cast fireballs as well as use swords.
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To stop, or to cause to stop, functioning properly or altogether.
On the hottest day of the year the refrigerator broke.
Did you two break the trolley by racing with it?
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Specifically, In programming To cause (some feature of a program or piece of software) to stop functioning properly; to cause a regression.
Adding 64-bit support broke backward compatibility with earlier versions.
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To cause (a barrier) to no longer bar.
to break a seal
I'm a riddle so strong, you can't break me1992, “Rain When I Die”, performed by Alice in Chains:
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Specifically To cause the shell of (an egg) to crack, so that the inside (yolk) is accessible.
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Specifically To open (a safe) without using the correct key, combination, or the like.
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To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce.
The cavalry were not able to break the British squares.
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Of a wave of water To collapse into surf, after arriving in shallow water.
There are many places on the reef that break during the summer.1966, Bruce Brown, director, The Endless Summer:
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To burst forth; to make its way; to come into view.
The Clouds are ſtill above; and, while I ſpeak, / A ſecond deluge o'er our head may break.1717, John Dryden, “Book I. [The Gyants War.]”, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Fifteen Books. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 16:
And from the turf a fountain broke, / And gurgled at our feet.1800, William Wordsworth, The Fountain:
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To interrupt or cease one's work or occupation temporarily; to go on break.
Let's break for lunch.
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To interrupt (a fall) by inserting something so that the falling object does not (immediately) hit something else beneath.
He survived the jump out the window because the bushes below broke his fall.
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Ergative To disclose or make known an item of news, a band, etc.
The newsman wanted to break a big story, something that would make him famous.
I don’t know how to break this to you, but your cat is not coming back.
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When news of their divorce broke...
Herman's Hermits version of 'I'm Into Something Good' topped the UK charts and also broke the band in the States.2010, Jon Kutner, Spencer Leigh, 1,000 UK Number One Hits:
“If something breaks during the day, work hours up until the evening, we’ll cut in — if we’re in the middle of, let’s say, a magazine program or a podcast on tape or a re-air of the game,” Radovich said.2023 March 8, Jonathan Tannenwald, “CBS is launching a 24/7 soccer channel online”, in The Philadelphia Inquirer:
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Of a sound To become audible suddenly.
Like the crash of thunderbolts…, the sound of musquetry broke over the lawn, ….c. 1843, George Lippard, The Battle-Day of Germantown, reprinted in Washington and His Generals "1776", page 45 http://google.com/books?id=EM-qNjWrI9YC&pg=PA45&dq=%22sound+of+musquetry%22
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To change a steady state abruptly.
His coughing broke the silence.
His turning on the lights broke the enchantment.
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With the mood broken, what we had been doing seemed pretty silly.
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With for To (attempt to) disengage and flee to; to make a run for.
As the last firing of the big guns begins to die down, the German light forces still fighting to the west begin to make their choices. Some break for the open sea; others run for the German-occupied coast; still others stand and die. A small group decide to strike their colors, in imitation of three of the larger German ships.2018 October 17, Drachinifel, 26:02 from the start, in Last Ride of the High Seas Fleet - Battle of Texel 1918, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2022:
Things began breaking bad for him when his parents died.
The arrest was standard, when suddenly the suspect broke ugly.
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Of a male voice To become deeper at puberty.
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Of a voice To alter in type due to emotion or strain: in men, generally to go up, in women, sometimes to go down; to crack.
His voice breaks when he gets emotional.
› To lose a texture.
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Cooking, Food, LifestyleOf a sauce or emulsion, Of a liquid To de-emulsify.
If you cook it too long, coconut milk will break.
A microwave will create hot spots that can break the sauce.
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Conversely, as the emulsion breaks and the system returns to the original state, energy is released.2004, J. L. Atwood, Jonathan W. Steed, Encyclopedia of supramolecular chemistry, volume 2, page 1466:
When the droplets hit a solid wall the emulsion breaks instantly forming a bitumen on the wall and thus a layer up to 1 cm thick can be sprayed in one operation without requiring drying in between.2006, Johan Sjöblom, Emulsions and emulsion stability, volume 22, page 400:
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Cooking, Food, LifestyleUsually, Of whipped cream, Of a liquid To become overwhipped and thus lose its texture.
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To surpass or do better than (a specific number); to do better than (a record), setting a new record.
He broke the men's 100-meter record.
I can't believe she broke 3 under par!
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The policeman broke sixty on a residential street in his hurry to catch the thief.
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Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports, Tennis To win a game (against one's opponent) as receiver.
He needs to break serve to win the match.
Yet when play restarted the Czech was a train that kept on running over Nadal. After breaking Nadal in the opening game of the final set, he went 2-0 up and later took the count to 4-2 with yet another emphatic ace – one of his 22 throughout.2012 June 28, Jamie Jackson, “Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal”, in the Guardian:
Sir Reginald Wingate, High Commissioner in Egypt, was happy for the success of the work he had advocated for years. I grudged him this happiness; for McMahon, who took the actual risk of starting it, had been broken just before prosperity began.1926, T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, New York: Anchor, published 1991, page 167:
And he played no favorites: when his son-in-law sacked a city he had been told to spare, Genghis broke him to private.1953 February 9, “Books: First Rulers of Asia”, in Time:
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One morning after the budget had failed to balance Finanzminister von Scholz picked up Der Reichsanzeiger and found he had been broken to sergeant.1968, William Manchester, The Arms of Krupp, Back Bay, published 2003, →ISBN, page 215:
Not long after this event, Clausen became involved in another disciplinary situation and was broken to private—the only one to win the Medal of Honor in Vietnam.2006, Peter Collier, Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty, Second Edition, Artisan Books, →ISBN, page 42:
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To end (a connection); to disconnect.
The referee ordered the boxers to break the clinch.
The referee broke the boxers' clinch.
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I couldn’t hear a thing he was saying, so I broke the connection and called him back.
The Baggies almost hit back instantly when Graham Dorrans broke from midfield and pulled the trigger from 15 yards but Paul Robinson did superbly to tip the Scot's drive around the post.2010 December 28, Kevin Darlin, “West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC:
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Obsolete To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate.
Katharine, break thy mind to me.1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
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To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength.
See how the dean begins to break; / Poor gentleman he droops apace.1731, Verses on His Own Death, Jonathan Swift:
47
To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of.
to break flax
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To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss.
when I see a great officer broke.January 11, 1711, Jonathan Swift, The Examiner No. 24
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To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change gait.
c. 1700 Jeremy Collier, On Friendship To break upon the score of danger or expense is to be mean and narrow-spirited.
51
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences To terminate the execution of a program before normal completion.
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Programming, Sciences To suspend the execution of a program during debugging so that the state of the program can be investigated.
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences To cause, or allow the occurrence of, a line break.
From Middle English breken, from Old English brecan (“to break”), from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”). Doublet of bray. Cognates Cognates of Germanic origin include Scots brek (“to break”), West Frisian brekke (“to break”), Dutch breken (“to break”), Low German breken (“to break”), German brechen (“to break”), French broyer (“to crush, grind”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (brikan, “to break, destroy”), Norwegian brek (“desire, yearning”). Also cognate with Albanian brishtë (“fragile”), Latin frangō (“break, break up, shatter”, verb), whence English fracture and other terms – fragile, frail, fraction, and fragment. The modern pronunciation shows an irregular change of Early Modern English /ɛː/ to /eɪ/ in the standard language; contrast this with the development of other words such as speak and wreak.
An instance of breaking something into two or more pieces.
The femur has a clean break and so should heal easily.
2
A physical space that opens up in something or between two things.
The sun came out in a break in the clouds.
He waited minutes for a break in the traffic to cross the highway.
3
An interruption of continuity; departure from or rupture with.
Work commenced at 2.30 p.m. on Saturday and continued without break until 4 a.m. on Monday morning, in the course of which three shifts of upwards of 90 men each and three steam cranes were employed.1958 June 23, “New Track Layout and Marshalling Yard at Barking”, in Railway Magazine, page 428:
But the young activists of Move Forward outmanoeuvred the older party, and beat many of its candidates, with an imaginative, social media-based campaign offering voters a complete break with the past, and a different kind of political leadership.2023 May 29, Jonathan Head, “Pita Limjaroenrat: Thai election upstart who vows to be different”, in BBC:
4
A rest or pause, usually from work.
Let’s take a five-minute break.
be on break
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get on break
5
EducationUK A time for students to talk or play between lessons.
It was playtime - or rather ‘break’ - and I had brazenly joined in a game of football on the school parade ground.1983, Bill Oddie, Gone Birding, London: Methuen, page 35:
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A scheduled interval of days or weeks between periods of school instruction; a holiday.
winter break, spring break
7
A short holiday.
a weekend break on the Isle of Wight
8
A temporary split with a romantic partner.
I think we need a break.
9
An interval or intermission between two parts of a performance, for example a theatre show, broadcast, or sports game.
But they marginally improved after the break as Didier Drogba hit the post.2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:
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A significant change in circumstance, attitude, perception, or focus of attention.
big break
lucky break, bad break
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them's the breaks
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Business, Finance A sudden fall in prices on the stock exchange.
Following the invasion of France by the Germans in May of 1940, the securities markets experienced a break in prices.1947, Reports of the Tax Court of the United States, volume 8, page 459:
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The beginning (of the morning).
daybreak
at the break of day
13
An act of escaping.
to make a break for it; to make a break for the door
It was a clean break.
1 more example
prison break
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences The separation between lines, paragraphs or pages of a written text.
No matter how much text you add above the break, the text after the break will always appear at the top of a new page.2001, Nan Barber, David Reynolds, Office 2001 for Macintosh: The Missing Manual, page 138:
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A keystroke or other signal that causes a program to terminate or suspend execution.
Blackpool were not without their opportunities - thanks to their willingness to commit and leave men forward even when under severe pressure - and they looked very capable of scoring on the break.2010 December 28, Owen Phillips, “Sunderland 0 - 2 Blackpool”, in BBC:
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Games, Golf, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports The curve imparted to the ball's motion on the green due to slope or grass texture.
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Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports, Surfing A place where waves break (that is, where waves pitch or spill forward creating white water).
The final break in the Greenmount area is Kirra Point.
One of the most popular summer breaks is just off to one side of the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor entrance, a spot called Ala Moana.1966, Bruce Brown, director, The Endless Summer:
Cigar was distracted at the break and let his five opponents get the jump.1999, Jay Hovdey, Cigar: America's Horse, page 63:
Perhaps it stumbles to its knees at the break, effectively losing the race at the outset.2010, John Alexander, Exotic Wagering the Winning Way, page 60:
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Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports The opening of packages of cards for a collectible card game, often for further distribution to paying customers.
26
Dated A large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash top, with the driver's seat in front and the footman's behind.
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Alternative Alternative form of brake (“cart or carriage without a body, for breaking in horses”)
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Equitation, Hobbies, Horses, Lifestyle, Pets, Sports A sharp bit or snaffle.
Pampered jades […] which need nor break nor bit.1576, George Gascoigne, The Steele Glas:
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music A short section of music, often between verses, in which some performers stop while others continue.
The fiddle break was amazing; it was a pity the singer came back in on the wrong note.
The effect was weird, because with that intuitive sense possessed by the African, every drummer knew exactly when the “breaks” were coming, and whole banks of bass drums would drop out precisely on the beat.1937, Ivan T. Sanderson, Animal Treasure, page 233:
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music The point in the musical scale at which a woodwind instrument is designed to overblow, that is, to move from its lower to its upper register.
Crossing the break smoothly is one of the first lessons the young clarinettist needs to master.
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music The transition area between a singer's vocal registers; the passaggio.
34. Of the Registers of the Voice - All singers have observed that there are certain parts of the Vocal Scale where a break, as it is called, seldom fails to occur.1862, John Winebrenner, The Serephina, Or, Christian Library of Church Music, page 13:
The point of division between the two vocal registers is most frequently referred to as the register’s break.2007, S. Anthony Frisella, The Baritone Voice: A Personal Guide to Acquiring a Superior Singing Technique, page 14:
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Boys should continue in their high voice, across the break to the lower range, and end up with a voice that doesn’t have a break (Leck, 2009).2018, Karen Brunssen, The Evolving Singing Voice: Changes Across the Lifespan, page 76:
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Geography, Natural sciencesIn plural An area along a river that features steep banks, bluffs, or gorges (e.g., Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, US).
"Maybe he will some day," says the Missus, and then her and Bessie pretended like they'd made a break and was embarrassed.1916, Ring W. Lardner, “Three Kings and a Pair”, in The Saturday Evening Post:
Etymology tree English break Middle English doun English down English break downdeverb. English breakdownclip. English break Clipping of breakdown (the percussion break of songs chosen by a DJ for use in hip-hop music) and see also breakdancing.
1
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music A section of extended repetition of the percussion break to a song, created by a hip-hop DJ as rhythmic dance music.
The smooth criminal on beat breaks / Never put me in your box if your shit eats tapes1994, “N.Y. State of Mind”, in Illmatic, performed by Nas:
Etymology tree English break Middle English doun English down English break downdeverb. English breakdownclip. English break Clipping of breakdown (the percussion break of songs chosen by a DJ for use in hip-hop music) and see also breakdancing.
Breaking heavily, now on a 1 in 39 gradient, the train makes as if to cross the Tamar at once, only to swing sharply to the right, […].1951 July, R. E. G. Read, “From Bere Alston to Callington”, in Railway Magazine, page 482: