Break definition

Break as a verb

1. terminate or end

   "break a lucky streak"

   Same sense: interrupt

2. become separated into pieces or fragments

   Same sense: separate, come apart, split up, fall apart

3. render inoperable or ineffective

4. ruin completely

   Same sense: bust

5. destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments

6. act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises

   "break a law"

   Same sense: go against, breach, violate, offend, transgress, infract

7. move away or escape suddenly

   "Nobody can break out — this prison is high security"

   Same sense: break out, break away

8. scatter or part

9. force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up

   "break into tears"

   Same sense: burst, erupt

10. enter someone's (virtual or real) property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act

    Same sense: break in

11. make submissive, obedient, or useful

    "The horse was tough to break"

    Same sense: break in

12. fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns

    Same sense: go against, violate

13. surpass in excellence

    "break a record"

    Same sense: better

14. make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret

    Same sense: let on, let out, give away, bring out, reveal, discover, expose, disclose

15. come into being

16. stop operating or functioning

    Same sense: go, give out, give way, go bad, break down, die, fail, conk out

17. interrupt a continued activity

    Same sense: break away

18. make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing

19. curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves

20. lessen in force or effect

    "break a fall"

    Same sense: damp, weaken, soften, dampen

21. be broken in

    "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress"

22. come to an end

23. vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity

24. cause to give up a habit

25. give up

    "break cigarette smoking"

26. come forth or begin from a state of latency

27. happen or take place

    "Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months"

28. cause the failure or ruin of

    "This play will either make or break the playwright"

29. invalidate by judicial action

30. discontinue an association or relation; go different ways

    Same sense: part, break up, separate, split, split up

31. assign to a lower position; reduce in rank

    Same sense: bump, kick downstairs, relegate, demote

32. reduce to bankruptcy

    "My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!"

    Same sense: ruin, smash, bankrupt

33. change directions suddenly

34. emerge from the surface of a body of water

35. break down, literally or metaphorically

    Same sense: give, give way, fall in, founder, cave in, collapse

36. do a break dance

    "Kids were break-dancing at the street corner"

    Same sense: break dance, break-dance

37. exchange for smaller units of money

    "I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy"

38. destroy the completeness of a set of related items

    "The book dealer would not break the set"

    Same sense: break up

39. make the opening shot that scatters the balls

40. separate from a clinch, in boxing

41. go to pieces

    Same sense: wear, wear out, fall apart, bust

42. break a piece from a whole

    "break a branch from a tree"

    Same sense: break off, snap off

43. become punctured or penetrated

44. pierce or penetrate

45. be released or become known; of news

    Same sense: get out, get around

46. cease an action temporarily

    "let's break for lunch"

    Same sense: pause, intermit

47. interrupt the flow of current in

    "break a circuit"

48. undergo breaking

49. find a flaw in

    "break an alibi"

50. find the solution or key to

    "break the code"

51. change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another

52. happen

    Same sense: develop, recrudesce

53. become fractured; break or crack on the surface only

    Same sense: check, crack

54. crack; of the male voice in puberty

    "his voice is breaking — he should no longer sing in the choir"

55. fall sharply

56. fracture a bone of

    Same sense: fracture

57. diminish or discontinue abruptly

58. weaken or destroy in spirit or body

59. put an end to a state or an activity

    Same sense: give up, stop, break off, lay off, quit, cease, discontinue

Break as a noun

60. some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity

    "there was a break in the action when a player was hurt"

    Same sense: interruption

61. an unexpected piece of good luck

    "he finally got his big break"

    Same sense: happy chance, good luck

62. (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other

    Same sense: fault, shift, geological fault, fracture, faulting

63. a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)

    "they hoped to avoid a break in relations"

    Same sense: falling out, breach, rift, rupture, severance

64. a pause from doing something (as work)

    "we took a 10-minute break"

    Same sense: time out, recess, respite

65. the act of breaking something

    "the breakage was unavoidable"

    Same sense: breaking, breakage

66. a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

    Same sense: suspension, pause, interruption, intermission

67. breaking of hard tissue such as bone

    "the break seems to have been caused by a fall"

    Same sense: fracture

68. the occurrence of breaking

    "the break in the dam threatened the valley"

69. 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"

70. the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool

71. (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving

    "he was up two breaks in the second set"

    Same sense: break of serve

72. an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity

    "it was presented without commercial breaks"

    Same sense: gap, disruption, interruption

73. a sudden dash

    "he made a break for the open door"

74. any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare

    "the break in the eighth frame cost him the match"

    Same sense: open frame

75. an escape from jail

    "the breakout was carefully planned"

    Same sense: prison-breaking, breakout, jailbreak, gaolbreak, prisonbreak

Synonyms and antonyms

• interrupt
• separate
• come apart
• split up
• fall apart
• bust
• go against
• breach
• violate
• offend
• transgress
• infract
• break out
• break away
• burst
• erupt
• break in
• better definition
• let on
• let out
• give away
• bring out
• reveal
• discover

Opposites: repair, keep, make.

How to say break

Break has 1 syllable and rhymes with make. Syllable counts and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary.

Words that rhyme with break

• make
• take
• lake
• wake
• mistake
• fake
• cake
• sake
• shake
• snake
• jake
• earthquake

BREAK in word games

Scrabble

11

Words With Friends

12

Anagrams

3

Is BREAK a valid Scrabble word? Yes, it is in the ENABLE list most word games use. Check BREAK in the word checker, or unscramble BREAK to see its 3 anagrams and the shorter words in its letters.