break

1 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 Synonyms of break pause, breath, breather, interruption, lull, recessWords Related to break time-out; interim, interlude, intermission, interval, respite, rest; cessation, discontinuance, downtime, ending, expiration, finishing, hitch, lapse, stoppage, stopping, termination; abeyance, moratorium, surcease, suspension; discontinuity, gap, hiatusNear Antonyms of break continuation, endurance, persistence, progress, progression; extension, prolongation

2 a period during which the usual routine of school or work is suspended most of the students at the boarding school are going home for Christmas break Synonyms of break vacation, holiday [chiefly British], hols [British], leave, recessWords Related to break sabbatical; furlough, liberty; breather, relaxation, respite, rest; interim, intermission, interval; feast, holy day, legal holiday; idling, loafing, lounging, slacking

3 an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge) the rancher repaired the break in the fence where the horse had gotten through Synonyms of break breach, gap, discontinuity, gulf, hiatus, hole, interstice, interval, opening, rent, rift, separation, voidWords Related to break chink, cleft, crack, cranny, crevice, fissure; notch, slit, slot, split; interspace, pore; abyss, aperture, cavity, chasm, gape, orifice; fracture, rupture, severance, sundering

4 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 Synonyms of break opportunity, chance, occasion, opening, room, shotWords Related to break play, way; juncture, pass

5 an unexpected benefit or advantage resulting from the uncertain course of events a guy who just seems to get all the breaks in life Synonyms of break fluke, strikeWords Related to break accident, chance, circumstance, hap, happenchance, happenstance, hazard, luck

6 the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement a desperate break from that hellhole Synonyms of break escape, breakout, bunk [British], flight, getaway, lam, rout, slipWords Related to break jailbreak; deliverance, liberation, redemption, release, rescue, salvation; close call, close shave, near missNear Antonyms of break captivity, confinement, immurement, imprisonment, incarceration, internment; custody, detention, hold, holding, retention; endangerment, hazard, imperilment, jeopardy, peril, risk, trouble

1 to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly hated telling her that I had broken her favorite glass vase Synonyms of break break up, bust, distintegrate, dismember, disrupt, fracture, fragment, rive Words Related to break atomize, crush, grind, powder, pulverize, reduce; blast, blow up, burst, detonate, explode; crack, pop, shatter, shiver, smash; chip, sliver, splinter, split; implode; destroy, ruin, wreck Near Antonyms of break doctor, fix, heal, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair

2 to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end the final vote broke the deadlock Synonyms of break stop, break off, break up, can [slang], cease, cut off, cut out, desist (from), discontinue, drop, end, give over, halt, knock off, lay off, leave off, pack (up or in), quit, shut offWords Related to break complete, conclude, finish; close (down); deactivate; block, blockade, dam, delay, detain, hinder, hold, hold back, impede, kibosh, obstruct, stem; call, suspend; arrest, brake, check, clamp down, rein (in), squash, squelch, stamp, stanch (or staunch), stunt, suppress, turn back; pause, stay, suspend; abolish, abort, annul, demolish, destroy, dissolve, kill, ruin, scuttle, snuffNear Antonyms of break carry on, continue, follow through (with), keep up, run on; advance, proceed, progress; actuate, drive, impel, propel, stir

3 to bring to a lower grade or rank the captain was broken to lieutenant commander for disobeying a direct order from his group commander Synonyms of break demote, bust, degrade, disrate, downgrade, reduceWords Related to break can, cashier, dismiss, downsize, fire, lay off, sack; abase, debase, demean, humble, humiliate, lowerNear Antonyms of break hireAntonyms of break advance, elevate, promote, raise

4 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 Synonyms of break decode, crack, decipher, decryptWords Related to break descramble, unscramble; render, translate; dope (out), figure out, puzzle (out), solve, unravel, unriddle, work, work outNear Antonyms of break garble, jumble (up), mix (up)Antonyms of break cipher, code, encipher, encode, encrypt

5 to come to a temporary halt in one's activity she broke from her ruminations to find that it was already dinnertime Synonyms of break pauseWords Related to break hesitate; break in, interrupt; cease, discontinue, end, finish, stop, terminate; knock off, lay off, quit; lapse, let upNear Antonyms of break continue, persist; advance, progress; extend, prolong, stretch

6 to cut into and turn over the sod of (a piece of land) using a bladed implement farmers once broke fields with horse-drawn plows Synonyms of break plow, furrowWords Related to break cultivate, till; fallow; harrow, hoe, list, rake, rototill

7 to fail to keep had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone Synonyms of break breach, violate, contravene, fracture, infringe, offend, traduce, transgressWords Related to break disobey, rebel; blow off, brush (off), disregard, flout, ignore, neglect, overlook, overpass, pass over, slight, tune out, wink (at); dismiss, pooh-pooh (also pooh), scorn, shrug off; defy, resist, withstandNear Antonyms of break defer (to), serve, submit (to), surrender (to), yield (to); attend, hear, heed, listen (to), mark, note, notice, regard, watchAntonyms of break comply (with), conform (to), follow, mind, obey, observe

8 to find an answer for through reasoning Professor Bates broke the problem when she realized that it was possible to synthesize the necessary compounds Synonyms of break answer, solve, crack, dope (out), figure out, puzzle (out), resolve, riddle (out), unravel, unriddle, work, work outWords Related to break conclude, decide, deduce, gather, infer, judge, reason; clear (up), iron out, straighten (out), unscramble, untangle, untie; assume, conjecture, divine, guess, presume, speculate; decipher, decode

9 to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of I broke a tooth on the hard candy Synonyms of break blemish, bloody, damage, compromise, crab, cripple, cross (up), deface, disfigure, endamage, flaw, harm, hurt, impair, injure, mar, spoil, vitiateWords Related to break deteriorate, enervate, enfeeble, undermine, weaken; erode, scour, wash out, wear (away); blight, tarnish; dent, ding, dint; botch, gum (up), queer; lacerate, wound; disable, hamstring, lame, maim, mangle, mutilate, torment, torture; annihilate, bang up, bash, batter, clobber, crush, dash, decimate, demolish, desolate, destroy, devastate, do in, pulverize, raze, ruin, scourge, shatter, smash, tear down, total, waste, wipe out, wreckNear Antonyms of break cure, heal, help, rectify, rehabilitate, remedy; edit, remodel, revise; ameliorate, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, perfect, refineAntonyms of break doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair, revamp

10 to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day Synonyms of break fail, break down, conk (out), crash, cut out, die, give out, stallWords Related to break fizzle, sputter, wheeze; act up, malfunction; jamAntonyms of break start (up)

11 to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening the herd of gazelles broke when they saw the lions racing toward them from the ridge above Synonyms of break bolt, run, bug out, flee, fly, hightail (it), retreat, run away, run off, skedaddleWords Related to break abscond, clear out, decamp, elope, escape, get (away), get out, lam, light out, make off, mizzle [chiefly British], scarper [British], scat, scram, skip (out), skirrNear Antonyms of break beard, brave, confront, dare, defy, face; abide, dwell, hang around, linger, remain, stay, stick around, tarry

12 to use up all the physical energy of the trek up the mountain just about broke me Synonyms of break exhaust, burn out, bust, do in, do up, drain, fag, fatigue, frazzle, harass, kill, knock out, outwear, tire, tucker (out), wash out, wear, wear out, wearyWords Related to break debilitate, enervate, enfeeble, sap, waste, weakenNear Antonyms of break activate, energize, invigorate, rejuvenate, strengthen, vitalize; relax, rest, unwind

13 to become known as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country Synonyms of break get out, circulate, come out, get about, get around, get round, leak (out), out, spreadWords Related to break develop, transpire, unfold; disclose, reveal, spill, tellNear Antonyms of break hush (up), suppress; conceal, disguise, hide, mask; secrete

14 to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts another bad investment could break him Synonyms of break bankrupt, ruin, bustWords Related to break beggar, impoverish, pauperize; reduce, straiten; clean (out), wipe outNear Antonyms of break enrich, richen

15 to come into existence the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking Synonyms of break actualize, appear, arise, begin, commence, dawn, engender, form, materialize, originate, set in, spring, startWords Related to break be, breathe, exist, live, subsist; arrive, come on, emerge; coalesce, cohere, shape (up); continue, endure, last, persist, surviveNear Antonyms of break conclude, desist, discontinue, finish, halt, quit, terminate; disappear, dissolve, evaporate, vanish; depart, die, expire, pass away, perishAntonyms of break cease, end, stop

16 to depart abruptly from a straight line or course the running back broke to his left before running out of bounds Synonyms of break swerve, cut, sheer, veer, yaw, zag, zigWords Related to break skew, slew (also slue); arc, arch, bend, bow, crook, curve, hook, round, sweep, wheel; about-face, pivot; circle, coil, curl, loop, spiral; turn, twist, wind; weave, zigzag; deviate, stray, wander, waverAntonyms of break straighten

17 to diminish the price or value of distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks Synonyms of break attenuate, depreciate, cheapen, depress, devaluate, devalue, downgrade, lower, mark down, reduce, sink, write down, write offWords Related to break debase, demonetize; underestimate, underprice, underrate, undervalue; abridge, compress, contract, de-escalate, deflate, downsize, dwindle, lessen, moderate, shrinkNear Antonyms of break bloat, blow up, inflate; overestimate, overprice, overrate, overvalue; add, aggrandize, amplify, augment, balloon, boost, compound, dilate, enlarge, escalate, expand, extend, heighten, increase, maximize, multiply, raise, swell, upAntonyms of break appreciate, enhance, mark up, upgrade

18 to go beyond the limit of a menu with prices that is likely to break the budgets of all but the wealthiest of diners Synonyms of break exceed, outreach, outrun, overpass, overreach, overrun, overshoot, overstep, surpass, transcendWords Related to break encroach, entrench (also intrench), infringe, invade, trespass; overdo, overuse, overutilize, overwork

19 to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below dolphins were breaking all around the boat Synonyms of break broach, surfaceWords Related to break emerge, riseNear Antonyms of break dive, drop, drown, founder, plunge, sink, submerge, submerse