to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language
Alan Turing and the Bletchley Park mathematicians broke the Enigma code being used by the Nazis
a momentary halt in an activity
there was a brief break after the first movement as the doors to the concert hall were opened and the latecomers were allowed in
a favorable combination of circumstances, time, and place
in classic fashion, her big break came when, as an understudy, she took over for an ailing star
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Recent Examples of break
Verb
After that, Alcaraz brought the hammer down with his otherwise impenetrable delivery, which was broken only three times across the tournament.—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025 There were routes in which Brown broke inside, and a defender was awaiting.—Zach Berman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
At the same time, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is among those who forecast 50% of entry-level jobs may be wiped out by AI as the technology improves, including being able to work eight-hour shifts without a break.—Trevor Laurence Jockims, CNBC, 7 Sep. 2025 Alcaraz broke Sinner five times compared to just one break for the Italian.—Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for break
Nothing better than putting down the top and driving beautiful roads just after the rain stops and the air is powerfully charged by the nearby ocean, scrubbed clean.
—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
In fact, water levels at Lake Powell, one of the main water storage reservoirs for the Colorado River Basin, could fall low enough to stop hydropower generation at the reservoir by December 2026, according to the NOAA report.
His team accused Whatley of distorting the facts to cover for his support of federal policies that reduced funding for local police.
—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
Valentino has been streamlining its wholesale channel, reduced by about 20 percent in 2024, a strategy that continued in 2025 and that is expected to impact its year-end performance.
Teams of researchers are trying to use AI to decipher these rumbles.
—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
7 Sep. 2025
Researchers from each, plus the United States, were attempting to decipher the challenges presented by opposing either a regime or a decaying democracy.
The Justice Department had asked the high court to pause a judge's order that the administration release the foreign aid.
—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
In this article, Bloomberg has some really nice country-specific data, cleanly displayed, with the option to check whether those tariffs which have been imposed, announced, threatened, paused or removed.
Coach Matt Rhule’s third team adopted a more mature approach, evidenced against Akron as Nebraska plowed through an opportunity to lose its intensity while playing with a big lead in the second half.
—
Mitch Sherman,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Farmers plowed up lead and iron shrapnel and even whole hand grenades by the pallet every harvest season.
—
Michael Jerome Plunkett
September 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
Polish airspace was violated by at least 19 Russian drones overnight, the country's prime minister said, in a torrent of activity that triggered a response from the NATO country's air force, which scrambled and downed several of the drones.
—
Will Gretsky,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
In a 21-page ruling, Talwani found that ICE holding an 18-year-old migrant arrested on charges of shoplifting without a bond hearing violated his due process rights.
—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
The approach is to solve as many things as possible while people are in prison.
—
Kristen Edgreen Kaufman,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
This sequel to 2019's Knives Out follows detective Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, who works to solve a murder after a group of frenemies meet on a private Greek island.
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