break¹ /brāk/

1. To divide, part or sever, wholly or partially
2. To rupture, burst
3. To shatter, crush
4. To destroy the continuity or integrity of
5. To damage (something) so that it fails to work
6. To interrupt (a fall, journey, etc)
7. To escape forcibly from (informal)
8. To make a forced entry to
9. To bruise or penetrate the surface of
10. To break a bone in, or separate the bones of
11. To overcome or wear out
12. To tame or habituate to obedience (see also break in below)
13. To crush the spirit of
14. To cure (of a habit)
15. To violate (eg a law, promise, bounds or prison)
16. To set aside (eg a will)
17. To cut up (an animal's body)
18. To unfurl
19. To decipher (a code)
20. To impart (esp with delicacy)
21. To make bankrupt
22. To demote or cashier
23. To improve on (a particular time, number of strokes, etc for a course or distance)
24. To arpeggiate (music)
25. To cause to change from a simple vowel to a diphthong (linguistics)

1. To separate
2. To come apart, or go to pieces, esp suddenly
3. To give way
4. To start away, make a sudden burst of speed
5. To disperse
6. To burst forth (usu with out)
7. To force a passage (with out or through)
8. To pass suddenly into a condition or action (eg into laughter, revolt, sweat, spots; with out)
9. (of flowers) in plant-breeding, to become variegated or striped
10. To pause for rest or refreshment
11. (of eg day, hope, a scene) to come into view, appear suddenly
12. (of news) suddenly to become generally known
13. To become bankrupt
14. (of a boy's voice at puberty) to change suddenly
15. To collapse
16. (of a wave) to burst into foam
17. To sever a connection, friendship (with)
18. (of a ball) to change direction (cricket, golf)
19. To break the balls (see below) (snooker, etc)
20. To change from a simple vowel to a diphthong under influence of a neighbouring sound (linguistics)
21. (of the weather) to change suddenly, esp after a settled period
22. (of cloud, etc) to disperse

1. An act of breaking
2. The state of being broken
3. An opening or crack
4. A discontinuity
5. A breach in a relationship
6. A pause, interval or interruption
7. A pause for rest or refreshment
8. An instrumental passage or solo in jazz or pop music
9. A consecutive series of successful strokes (snooker, croquet, etc)
10. The number of points so scored at snooker, etc
11. A continuous run of anything
12. The opening shot in snooker, billiards, etc
13. The start of a horse race
14. The deviation of a ball on striking the pitch (cricket)
15. An instance of breaking service (tennis)
16. Onset (of the monsoon)
17. A social blunder (US)
18. A chance (as in an even break)
19. A good chance, an opportunity
20. A piece of luck, good or bad

breakˈable adjective

Able to be (easily) broken

(esp in pl) an item that can be (easily) broken

breakˈableness noun

breakˈage noun

1. The act of breaking or its consequences
2. The article or quantity broken

breakˈer noun

1. A person or machine that breaks something
2. A wave broken on rocks or on the shore
3. Someone who broadcasts on Citizens' Band radio (slang)

breakˈing noun and adjective

breakˈaway noun

1. Revolt, defection
2. Withdrawal, secession
3. An escape
4. A sudden attacking movement in various sports
5. An escape
6. A stampede or stampeding animal (Aust)

adjective

Having seceded, defected, etc

breakˈback adjective

Crushing

break bad

(chiefly US sl) to turn from a moral way of life to an immoral one

breakˈbeat noun

In house music, etc, a short sample of drum beats or other rhythm taken from old soul or jazz records and repeated to make a new rhythm

breakbone fever noun

Dengue

break crop noun (agriculture)

A crop grown in rotation with cereals

breakˈdance noun

A street dance, usu to sampled music, using some routines drawn from gymnastics

To perform such a dance

breakˈdancer noun

breakˈdancing noun

breakˈdown noun

1. A stoppage through accident
2. Collapse
3. A nervous breakdown
4. Disintegration
5. A vigorous and noisy American dance
6. The sudden passage of current through an insulating material at a particular voltage (elec eng)
7. An analysis, investigation of data under different headings

adjective

Assisting after a breakdown, etc, eg breakdown truck or breakdown gang a vehicle or gang that clears and tows away a vehicle after a breakdown or wreckage after an accident

breakdown voltage noun (elec eng)

The potential difference at which breakdown (qv above) occurs

break-even see break even below.

break fee noun (finance)

A payment made by one party in a financial agreement to another in order to escape from the terms of the agreement

breakˈ-front noun and adjective

(a bookcase, wardrobe, etc) having a centre section projecting beyond the two end sections

breakˈ-in noun

An illegal (and sometimes violent) entering of a building

breaking point noun

The point at which a person, relationship, situation, etc breaks down under stress

breaking stress noun (engineering)

The stress necessary to break a material, either in tension or compression

breakˈ-jaw adjective

Very difficult to pronounce accurately

breakˈneck adjective

Headlong, very fast, usu dangerously so

break of day noun

Dawn

breakˈoff noun

A discontinuation, abrupt cessation

breakout see break out below.

break point noun

1. A point giving a player the opportunity to break service (tennis)
2. (also breakˈpoint) a point at which a computer program will stop running to allow checking, etc

breakˈ-promise or breakˈ-vow noun (both Shakespeare)

A person who habitually breaks promises or vows

breakˈthrough noun

1. A forcible passage through a barrier
2. The solving of a problem, esp scientific, after much effort, opening the way to further developments
3. Any comparable success

breakthrough bleeding noun

Intermittent discharge of blood from the uterus between menstrual periods

breakˈtime noun

(at school, etc) recess, break between work periods

breakˈ-up noun

1. Dissolution
2. Dispersal
3. An ending of a relationship

break-vow see break-promise above.

breakˈwater noun

A barrier against the force of the waves

breakˈ-wind noun

A windbreak

break a jest

To make a jest, crack a joke

break a lance with

To enter into a contest with

break a leg (theatre)

A phrase used to wish someone good luck

break a record see under record

break a strike see under strike

break away

1. To make a breakaway
2. To be scattered, as clouds after a storm

break bread

1. To have a meal (with)
2. To administer or take part in Holy Communion (Christianity)

break bulk

1. To open the hold and take out a portion of the cargo
2. To begin to use goods supplied in bulk

break camp

To dismantle and pack one's tents, etc

break cover

1. (of eg a fox) to burst out from concealment
2. To come out of hiding

break down

1. To demolish
2. To crush
3. To collapse
4. To be overwhelmed by one's emotions
5. To suffer a nervous breakdown
6. To fail completely
7. To analyse

break even

1. To avoid making a loss but fail to make a profit
2. To reach the point at which revenue equals costs (breakˈeven noun and adjective)

break forth

To burst out, issue

break free see break loose below.

break ground see under ground¹

break in

1. (also break) to tame or accustom (an animal) to obedience
2. To make (shoes, etc) less stiff by use

break in, in on or into

1. To enter violently
2. To interpose abruptly

breaking and entering

Housebreaking, illegal entry into property

break into

1. To begin to use up or spend (something held in reserve, a large denomination note, etc)
2. To begin an activity suddenly, eg song, laughter

break it down (Aust inf)

Stop it!

break loose or free

1. To extricate oneself forcibly
2. To break through all restraint

break no squares

To make no difference, do no harm, matter little

break off

1. To detach by breaking
2. To put an abrupt end to
3. To leave off or stop abruptly

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