break

break

noun

Definition of BREAK

1

a momentary halt in an activity <there was a brief break after the first movement as the doors to the concert hall were opened and the latecomers were allowed in>

Synonyms break, breath, breather, interruption, lull, recess

Related Words time-out; interim, interlude, intermission, interval, respite, rest; cessation, discontinuance, downtime, ending, expiration, finishing, hitch, lapse, stoppage, stopping, termination; abeyance, moratorium, surcease, suspension; discontinuity, gap, hiatus

Near Antonyms continuation, endurance, persistence, progress, progression; extension, prolongation

2

a period during which the usual routine of school or work is suspended <most of the students at the boarding school are going home for Christmas break>

Synonyms break, holiday [chiefly British], hols [British], leave, recess

Related Words sabbatical; furlough, liberty; breather, relaxation, respite, rest; interim, intermission, interval; feast, holy day, legal holiday; idling, loafing, lounging, slacking

3

an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge) <the rancher repaired the break in the fence where the horse had gotten through>

Synonyms breach, break, discontinuity, gulf, hiatus, hole, interstice, interval, opening, rent, rift, separation, void

Related Words chink, cleft, crack, cranny, crevice, fissure; notch, slit, slot, split; interspace, pore; abyss, aperture, cavity, chasm, gape, orifice; fracture, rupture, severance, sundering

4

a favorable combination of circumstances, time, and place <in classic fashion, her big break came when, as an understudy, she took over for an ailing star>

Synonyms break, chance, occasion, opening, room, shot

Related Words play, way; juncture, pass

5

an unexpected benefit or advantage resulting from the uncertain course of events <a guy who just seems to get all the breaks in life>

Synonyms break, strike

Related Words accident, chance, circumstance, hap, happenchance, happenstance, hazard, luck

6

the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement <a desperate break from that hellhole>

Synonyms break, breakout, bunk [British], flight, getaway, lam, rout, slip

Related Words jailbreak; deliverance, liberation, redemption, release, rescue, salvation; close call, close shave, near miss

Near Antonyms captivity, confinement, immurement, imprisonment, incarceration, internment; custody, detention, hold, holding, retention; endangerment, hazard, imperilment, jeopardy, peril, risk, trouble