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
How the escape unfolded The inmates at the New Orleans jail began yanking on a sliding door to a cell to pull it off track, and around 12:20 a.m. were able to break open the door, according to Hutson.
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Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
Rescue teams used a backhoe and dug 3 to 4 feet down to reach the pipe, then used sledgehammers to break open the pipe.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2025
But even if Republicans fully abandon the idea of taxing the rich more in this legislation, the back and forth has broken open arguments that have typically been off limits to Republicans could affect policymaking going forward.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 10 May 2025
The contest was tied at 1-1 until the fifth inning when the Dragons broke open the game with a six-run frame.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break open
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Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
Rescue teams used a backhoe and dug 3 to 4 feet down to reach the pipe, then used sledgehammers to break open the pipe.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2025
But even if Republicans fully abandon the idea of taxing the rich more in this legislation, the back and forth has broken open arguments that have typically been off limits to Republicans could affect policymaking going forward.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 10 May 2025
The contest was tied at 1-1 until the fifth inning when the Dragons broke open the game with a six-run frame.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Apr. 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 22 May. 2025.
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