break room

noun

variants or less commonly breakroom

ˈbrāk-ˌrüm 

-ˌru̇m

plural break rooms also breakrooms

: a room in a workplace where an employee can go for a short period of rest or refreshment

At lunchtime I ordered pizza for the staff and we all ate together, somewhat stiffly, in the break room.

—Heidi Julavits

Bumping into each other in the breakroom or chatting in the elevator sometimes leads to unexpected collaboration and creative solutions.

—Elizabeth Baskin

Examples of break room in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Police say burglary tools were recovered from the car and were left behind in the credit union’s break room. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 June 2026

In 2022, a Walmart contractor posted a video from a store break room where an employee looked exhausted and miserable. —Ann Larson, Time, 11 June 2026

In the spring of 2023, while in a CATS break room, driver Tierra Mack’s coworker shared that a man was threatening him on his route. —Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 2 June 2026

Many were in an employee break room during a shift change when the explosion occurred, Longview Fire Department officials said. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 31 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for break room

• assume
• backroom
• ballroom
• barroom
• bathroom
• bedroom
• boardroom
• bridegroom
• classroom
• cloakroom
• consume
• costume