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
The emails were included as exhibits in a lawsuit filed in Mecklenburg last week; five plaintiffs allege that Central Piedmont broke open meetings law when discussing and planning the facility.
—
Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2025
The Cavaliers, which took the fourth-most threes per game in the NBA and recorded the league’s second-best team three-point shooting percentage this regular season, shot 7 of 15 on threes Sunday’s fourth quarter to break open Game 1.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2025
Once aboard the trains, the robbers use bolt cutters and saws to break open container locks and go to work, stealing electronics, footwear and other valuable items.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 28 Feb. 2025
Tommy Edman broke open the early scoring with a three-run blast off of Shota Imanaga, who had held the Dodgers down whenever he’s seen them over the last two seasons.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break open
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2025
The Cavaliers, which took the fourth-most threes per game in the NBA and recorded the league’s second-best team three-point shooting percentage this regular season, shot 7 of 15 on threes Sunday’s fourth quarter to break open Game 1.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2025
Once aboard the trains, the robbers use bolt cutters and saws to break open container locks and go to work, stealing electronics, footwear and other valuable items.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 28 Feb. 2025
Tommy Edman broke open the early scoring with a three-run blast off of Shota Imanaga, who had held the Dodgers down whenever he’s seen them over the last two seasons.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 23 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 9 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share