break 1 of 6

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as in to reduce
to bring to a lower grade or rank the captain was broken to lieutenant commander for disobeying a direct order from his group commander

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4
as in to decipher
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

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5
as in to pause
to come to a temporary halt in one's activity she broke from her ruminations to find that it was already dinnertime

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as in to plow
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

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as in to die
to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

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as in to ruin
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts another bad investment could break him

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as in to exceed
to go beyond the limit of a menu with prices that is likely to break the budgets of all but the wealthiest of diners

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19
as in to surface
to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below dolphins were breaking all around the boat

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break

2 of 6

noun

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as in vacation
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

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4
as in opportunity
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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5
as in accident
an unexpected benefit or advantage resulting from the uncertain course of events a guy who just seems to get all the breaks in life

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6

broke

3 of 6

adjective (1)

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broke

5 of 6

verb (2)

past tense of break
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as in demoted
to bring to a lower grade or rank the captain was broken to lieutenant commander for disobeying a direct order from his group commander

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4
as in deciphered
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

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5
6
as in plowed
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

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as in died
to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

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as in ruined
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts another bad investment could break him

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as in surfaced
to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below dolphins were breaking all around the boat

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broken

6 of 6

verb (3)

past participle of break
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3
as in degraded
to bring to a lower grade or rank the captain was broken to lieutenant commander for disobeying a direct order from his group commander

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4
as in cracked
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

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5
6
as in raked
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

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as in stalled
to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

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as in bankrupted
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts another bad investment could break him

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as in emerged
to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below dolphins were breaking all around the boat

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of break
Verb
Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Danielle Bacher, People.com, 16 May 2025 But Sentry breaks free from her control and then, fueled by Bob's repressed emotions, transforms into a shadowy figure called The Void, putting New York City and our heroes in dire straits. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 May 2025
Noun
Snag a stay here for an epic Paris stay or visit the garden for an afternoon break from it all. L’Aventure 4 Av. Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025 Returning from the break, Granite Hills took control, outscoring Saints 4-1 in the third quarter. Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
Adjective
The match-up broke ratings records, with nearly 128 million viewers tuning in, according to Nielsen. Judy Kurtz, The Hill, 26 Mar. 2025 Fake Wedding follows two broke singles who throw a fake wedding to cash in on the registry and the very real problems the make-believe couple encounters. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
As protesters attempted to stop the congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election, Babbitt was climbing through the broken window of a barricaded door to the Speaker’s Lobby when she was shot. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 May 2025 He was brought up for the minors on April 19, 2017 when Logan Forsythe suffered a broken toe when hit by a pitch. Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
Verb
After the news of Zuckerberg’s bunker broke, other one-percenters followed suit. Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Dec. 2024 But then the defense broke again on the Blue run. The Athletic College Football Staff, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 2024
Verb
Buffalo’s season is all but over, and the team has looked broken. Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024 When the pot was broken, the gifts would spill out, acting as an offering to Huitzilopochtli. Monica Navarro, The Arizona Republic, 24 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Noun
  • Then, the White House announced that the U.S. and China have agreed to a 90 day pause in their trade war.
    David Hebert, National Review, 16 May 2025
  • However, since then, Donald Trump has initiated a 90-day pause in the U.S.-China tariff conflict, reducing U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China has lowered its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports from 125% to 10% .
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • But in the final days of their vacation, the Daggers wound down their time abroad with a trip to Sacramento with a sole purpose: the World’s Strongest Man competition.
    Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2025
  • Starting with their first meeting in 2016, the post includes a selfie taken in London and snapshots from their early private vacations to Botswana and Norway.
    Janine Henni, People.com, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • Room to grow is great, but if the gap is too big, you might be frustrated to not get anywhere close to 240 frames per second (fps) at 4K.
    Brad Bourque, Wired News, 23 May 2025
  • Filling the Liberation Day gap continues to be a resistance level for the market.
    Brendan Ahern, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • The class is specifically designed to provide an opportunity to ask questions about Christianity and our Lutheran theology.
    Carin Schoppmeyer, Arkansas Online, 17 May 2025
  • Saturday’s showpiece final is an opportunity to get some of the old feeling back, to show the merits of the current squad and to draw a line under some legendary careers.
    Sam Lee, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • Some patients have received custom titanium facial implants after accidents.
    Anne Schmitz, The Conversation, 20 May 2025
  • The car accident in 1987 changed their lives and wedding plans but not their love for each other.
    Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2025
Noun
  • What was an escape turned into nine piano compositions made available on various platforms, including Spotify, after feedback on Instagram.
    Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • Boyd, 19, who was facing charges of second-degree murder before the escape, was the latest inmate captured.
    Peter D'Abrosca , Nate Foy, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • Yeboah hasn’t scored since March, a lull of seven matches that also came with an ankle injury.
    Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 16 May 2025
  • There may be a lull in storms in the afternoon, but there is also a chance that once the first round dissipates, another batch of severe weather forms on the eastern fringes of the area.
    Miceala Morano, Arkansas Online, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • Parking passes for holidays and weekends may be purchased up to 14 days prior to arrival, or up until 3 p.m. on the day of arrival, if capacity is not reached, officials said.
    Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2025
  • Following her birth, Taylor continued sharing photos of Indy, including various milestones, holidays and sweet images of her and Indy wearing matching outfits, such as twinning Easter dresses or Christmas pajamas.
    Katie Mannion, People.com, 16 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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