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

Lake Mary scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth to break open the tight contest. — Steve Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026

Some plays broke open with fine blocking at the line of scrimmage across different units, and others had the defense showing strong contain. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

Brandon Vallance/Getty Images The Giants broke open what had been a 3-2 game with a seven-run sixth inning off relievers Chad Patrick and Aaron Ashby. — CBS News, 30 July 2026

When healthy, Pearsall has shown an ability to break open fast as a sure-handed target. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 29 July 2026

Rhymes for break open

• atropine
• reopen