break open
phrasal verb
broke open; broken open; breaking open; breaks open
: to open or to cause (something) to open suddenly
The pods broke open and the seeds scattered on the wind.
The police broke open the door.
The burglars broke the locked safe open.
Examples of break open in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bishop’s broke open a scoreless tie by scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter on short runs by Josiayah Bryant and Isaiah Garcia.
—
La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Only slowly this shell broke open, with fragments sinking downward into the Earth’s interior, a process called subduction and today a driving mechanism behind plate tectonics.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Sometimes, the settlers burn cars, shoot at the feet of women and children, or break open people’s heads.
—Sam Fleischacker, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
After South Dakota broke open a 1-1 tie with five runs in the top of the seventh, the team from Irmo, S.C., rallied with six in the bottom of the inning to walk off with the win.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break open
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La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Only slowly this shell broke open, with fragments sinking downward into the Earth’s interior, a process called subduction and today a driving mechanism behind plate tectonics.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Sometimes, the settlers burn cars, shoot at the feet of women and children, or break open people’s heads.
—Sam Fleischacker, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
After South Dakota broke open a 1-1 tie with five runs in the top of the seventh, the team from Irmo, S.C., rallied with six in the bottom of the inning to walk off with the win.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break open
Cite this Entry
“Break open.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/break%20open. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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