n.

1. some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity;
   interruption
   
   • the telephone is an annoying interruption
   • there was a break in the action when a player was hurt
2. an unexpected piece of good luck;
   good luck, happy chance
   
   • he finally got his big break
3. (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other;
   fault, faulting, geological fault, shift, fracture
   
   • they built it right over a geological fault
   • he studied the faulting of the earth's crust
4. a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions);
   rupture, breach, severance, rift, falling out
   
   • they hoped to avoid a break in relations
5. a pause from doing something (as work);
   respite, recess, time out
   
   • we took a 10-minute break
   • he took time out to recuperate
6. the act of breaking something;
   breakage, breaking
   
   • the breakage was unavoidable
7. a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something;
   pause, intermission, interruption, suspension
8. breaking of hard tissue such as bone;
   fracture
   
   • it was a nasty fracture
   • the break seems to have been caused by a fall
9. the occurrence of breaking
   
   • the break in the dam threatened the valley
10. an abrupt change in the tone or register of the voice (as at puberty or due to emotion)
    
    • then there was a break in her voice
11. the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool
12. (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving;
    break of serve
    
    • he was up two breaks in the second set
13. an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity;
    interruption, disruption, gap
    
    • it was presented without commercial breaks
    • there was a gap in his account
14. a sudden dash
    
    • he made a break for the open door
15. any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare;
    open frame
    
    • the break in the eighth frame cost him the match
16. an escape from jail;
    breakout, jailbreak, gaolbreak, prisonbreak, prison-breaking
    
    • the breakout was carefully planned

v.

1. terminate;
   interrupt
   
   • She interrupted her pregnancy
   • break a lucky streak
   • break the cycle of poverty
2. become separated into pieces or fragments;
   separate, split up, fall apart, come apart
   
   • The figurine broke
   • The freshly baked loaf fell apart
3. destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments
   
   • He broke the glass plate
   • She broke the match
4. render inoperable or ineffective
   
   • You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!
5. ruin completely;
   bust
   
   • He busted my radio!
6. act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises;
   transgress, offend, infract, violate, go against, breach
   
   • offend all laws of humanity
   • violate the basic laws or human civilization
   • break a law
   • break a promise
7. move away or escape suddenly;
   break out, break away
   
   • The horses broke from the stable
   • Three inmates broke jail
   • Nobody can break out--this prison is high security
8. scatter or part
   
   • The clouds broke after the heavy downpour
9. force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up;
   burst, erupt
   
   • break into tears
   • erupt in anger
10. prevent completion;
    break off, discontinue, stop
    
    • stop the project
    • break off the negotiations
11. enter someone's property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act;
    break in
    
    • Someone broke in while I was on vacation
    • They broke into my car and stole my radio!
12. make submissive, obedient, or useful;
    break in
    
    • The horse was tough to break
    • I broke in the new intern
13. fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns;
    violate, go against
    
    • This sentence violates the rules of syntax
14. surpass in excellence;
    better
    
    • She bettered her own record
    • break a record
15. make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret;
    unwrap, disclose, let on, bring out, reveal, discover, expose, divulge, impart, give away, let out
    
    • The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold
    • The actress won't reveal how old she is
    • bring out the truth
    • he broke the news to her
    • unwrap the evidence in the murder case
16. come into being
    
    • light broke over the horizon
    • Voices broke in the air
17. stop operating or functioning;
    fail, go bad, give way, die, give out, conk out, go, break down
    
    • The engine finally went
    • The car died on the road
    • The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town
    • The coffee maker broke
    • The engine failed on the way to town
    • her eyesight went after the accident
18. interrupt a continued activity;
    break away
    
    • She had broken with the traditional patterns
19. make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing
    
    • The ranks broke
20. curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves
    
    • The surf broke
21. lessen in force or effect;
    dampen, damp, soften, weaken
    
    • soften a shock
    • break a fall
22. be broken in
    
    • If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress
23. come to an end
    
    • The heat wave finally broke yesterday
24. vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity
    
    • The flat plain was broken by tall mesas
25. cause to give up a habit
    
    • She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes
26. give up
    
    • break cigarette smoking
27. come forth or begin from a state of latency
    
    • The first winter storm broke over New York
28. happen or take place
    
    • Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months
29. cause the failure or ruin of
    
    • His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage
    • This play will either make or break the playwright
30. invalidate by judicial action
    
    • The will was broken
31. discontinue an association or relation; go different ways;
    separate, part, split up, split, break up
    
    • The business partners broke over a tax question
    • The couple separated after 25 years of marriage
    • My friend and I split up
32. assign to a lower position; reduce in rank;
    demote, bump, relegate, kick downstairs
    
    • She was demoted because she always speaks up
    • He was broken down to Sergeant
33. reduce to bankruptcy;
    bankrupt, ruin, smash
    
    • My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!
    • The slump in the financial markets smashed him
34. change directions suddenly
35. emerge from the surface of a body of water
    
    • The whales broke
36. break down, literally or metaphorically;
    collapse, fall in, cave in, give, give way, founder
    
    • The wall collapsed
    • The business collapsed
    • The dam broke
    • The roof collapsed
    • The wall gave in
    • The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice
37. do a break dance;
    break dance, break-dance
    
    • Kids were break-dancing at the street corner
38. exchange for smaller units of money
    
    • I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy
39. destroy the completeness of a set of related items;
    break up
    
    • The book dealer would not break the set
40. make the opening shot that scatters the balls
41. separate from a clinch, in boxing
    
    • The referee broke the boxers
42. go to pieces;
    wear, wear out, bust, fall apart
    
    • The lawn mower finally broke
    • The gears wore out
    • The old chair finally fell apart completely
43. break a piece from a whole;
    break off, snap off
    
    • break a branch from a tree
44. become punctured or penetrated
    
    • The skin broke
45. pierce or penetrate
    
    • The blade broke her skin
46. be released or become known; of news;
    get out, get around
    
    • News of her death broke in the morning
47. cease an action temporarily;
    pause, intermit
    
    • We pause for station identification
    • let's break for lunch
48. interrupt the flow of current in
    
    • break a circuit
49. undergo breaking
    
    • The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages
50. find a flaw in
    
    • break an alibi
    • break down a proof
51. find the solution or key to
    
    • break the code
52. change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another
    
    • Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children
53. happen;
    recrudesce, develop
    
    • Report the news as it develops
    • These political movements recrudesce from time to time
54. become fractured; break or crack on the surface only;
    crack, check
    
    • The glass cracked when it was heated
55. crack; of the male voice in puberty
    
    • his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir
56. fall sharply
    
    • stock prices broke
57. fracture a bone of;
    fracture
    
    • I broke my foot while playing hockey
58. diminish or discontinue abruptly
    
    • The patient's fever broke last night
59. weaken or destroy in spirit or body
    
    • His resistance was broken
    • a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death