break open

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

Airlines are generally required to carry crash axes in the cockpit that could be used in an emergency to break open a window to escape or break open a panel to access a fire. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Details on attack Airlines are generally required to carry crash axes in the cockpit that could be used in an emergency to break open a window to escape or break open a panel to access a fire. — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Authorities told the company the thieves broke open the back of the vehicles, found nothing of value, and left them. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

Perhaps like one’s heart crisply split in two, spilling its squelched juices, like the baobab fruit broken open by the stylish monkey in The Lion King, my favorite vintage cartoon. — Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for break open

• atropine
• reopen