verb
The ball flew over the fence and broke my neighbour's window. She fell and broke her wrist
Break the news to him gently
When will this spell of wet weather break?
The power of the dictator was finally broken
He's the man that broke the bank at Monte Carlo
Twenty years in the chain-gang had broken him completely
The divorce has broken her spirit
I used to break horses for a living
If you break the law, you'll regret it. They broke the contract
We broke relations with Spain after the incident. It is very difficult to break a habit of a lifetime. The narrative breaks at this point, to be taken up later
The rain is over and the clouds are breaking
The ship broke from its moorings during the storm
The storm broke in all its fury. After a little while, the sun broke through
He was broken from sergeant to private
A small group broke away from the established church to worship as they saw fit
Laser printers have broken new ground in the area of computer printout
Wit, like beauty, can break through the most unpromising disguise
break down
All right, men, let's break down that wall
The carbon dioxide molecules and water are broken down by photosynthesis
His health has broken down completely
break in
If the results of the election become known, we shall break in to keep you informed
We'll break you in for a week or two on the new machine. Wear your new boots for an hour each day to break them in
Someone broke in and stole my video recorder last night
break off
Sally broke off in mid sentence. After the Fashoda Incident, Britain broke off relations with France
A large branch broke off from the tree and crashed down, narrowly missing me
break
break out
She broke out of prison in 1985 and hasn't been seen since
He breaks out in a rash from eating strawberries. A war could break out any minute
break up. See also 11, 16 (b), above
Heraclius succeeded in breaking up the Persian power
In the spring, the ice on the river breaks up
(a), below. 24 break with
The leader broke with the party and established a new organization. Sally has broken up with Michael
They have broken entirely with the traditions we valued so highly
noun
There was a break in a gas pipe. Disagreement over the fishing grounds has resulted in a break in relations
You can escape through a break in the wall near the bridge
There was a five-minute break in transmission from the ship
We take a break at ten o'clock
All he needs is a break to get started
US