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
In an interview with La Parisien, Dauvergne revealed that the thieves entered the property by cutting through the border fence, then used a crowbar to break open the door and smash the detectors.
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MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
In episode 5, Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) delves into his traumatic past, when his grandfather Andy (Andrew Moodie) breaks open his lockbox of negative psychic memories.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025
Nora resists, then breaks open mid-scene.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
Jamal Murray added 23 points for the Nuggets (8-2), who pulled away in the fourth quarter to break open a close game.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break open
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MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
In episode 5, Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) delves into his traumatic past, when his grandfather Andy (Andrew Moodie) breaks open his lockbox of negative psychic memories.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025
Nora resists, then breaks open mid-scene.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
Jamal Murray added 23 points for the Nuggets (8-2), who pulled away in the fourth quarter to break open a close game.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 12 Nov. 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 6 Dec. 2025.
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