break - thesaurus entry

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90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing.These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are morefrequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

verb

1
to make something separate into two or more pieces, for example by hitting or dropping it
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To break: break, fall apart, shatter, crumble, disintegrate, fragment, splinter, break up, smash... more
1. a.
  if something breaks, it becomes damaged and separates into pieces
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To break: break, fall apart, shatter, crumble, disintegrate, fragment, splinter, break up, smash... more
2. b.
  if a bone in your body breaks, or if you break it, it cracks or separates into two pieces
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To injure yourself or someone else: injure, harm, wound, cut, burn, strain, break, bruise, disable... more
3. c.
  if a piece of equipment breaks, or if you break it, it stops working correctly because a part of it is damaged
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To make a machine or piece of machinery stop working: break, cannibalise, cannibalize, cut, deactivate, disable, disengage, flash, flick, flip off... more
2
to fail to obey a rule or law
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To fail to obey a rule, law or command: break, defy, disobey, flout, breach, contravene, challenge, infringe, offend, violate... more
1. a.
  to not do something that you promised or agreed to do
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To not keep a promise: break, go back on, renege, cry off, back out, fail, duck out of, dishonour, rat on, breach... more
3
to make a hole or cut in the surface of something
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To break: break, fall apart, shatter, crumble, disintegrate, fragment, splinter, break up, smash... more
4
to destroy someone’s confidence, determination, or happiness
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To make someone feel disappointed or less hopeful: disappoint, let down, discourage, disillusion, demoralize, wear down, get down, throw/pour cold water on something, dash someone’s hopes, cast a shadow over something... more
1. a.
  to lose your determination or confidence, especially when someone is deliberately trying to make this happen
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To lose hope, or to give up hope: give up on, despair, darken, wobble, sink, break, lose heart, say/wave/kiss goodbye to something, lose/give up hope... more
5
if important news breaks, it becomes publicly known
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To be, or to become known: come out, get around, leak out, emerge, get out, break, spread, appear, circulate, percolate... more
1. a.
  to publish or broadcast a news story for the first time
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To publish something, or to be published: publish, print, report, carry, break, put out, run, scoop, plaster... more
2. b.
  to tell someone bad news in a kind way
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To tell someone something, or to give information: tell, deliver, report, point out, brief, relay, divulge, advise, let someone know, give someone to understand (that)... more
6
to stop what you are doing for a short period of time
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To stop doing something: stop, break off, give up, cease, discontinue, abandon, quit, check, drop, throw in the towel... more
7
to stop a bad situation from continuing
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To stop something from continuing or developing: interfere with, inhibit, disrupt, hamper, cramp, scotch, stifle, strangle, hobble, abort... more
1. a.
  to end your connection or relationship with someone
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To end a friendship or relationship: defriend, break off, break up, leave, split up, cut off, fall out, finish with, drop, break with... more
2. b.
  to end a quiet or calm period, for example by talking or making a noise
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To make a sound: sound, tap out, let out, pitch, break, go, emit, utter, voice... more
3. c.
  to end a long period in which you have refused to talk about something
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To bring an end to something: end, wind up, round off, wind down, conclude, call a halt (to something), discontinue, break, proscribe, squelch... more
8
when day breaks, it starts to get light in the morning
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
The coming of night and day: break, close in, night falls, sunrise, sunset, twilight, draw out, draw in, the dawn chorus, dawn... more
9
if a storm breaks, it starts
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
What storms can do: blow itself out, blow over, blow up, break, strike, thunder... more
1. a.
  if the weather breaks, it changes unexpectedly, and usually becomes worse
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  Changes in the weather: break, break through, brighten up, clear, clear up, close in, cloud, ease, fickle, lift... more
10
if a boy’s voice breaks, it becomes deeper and he starts to sound like a man
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
What voices can do: break, choke, crack, drop, fall, harden, lift, modulate, quaver, rise... more
1. a.
  if someone’s voice breaks, they become unable to speak clearly, usually because they are upset
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  What voices can do: break, choke, crack, drop, fall, harden, lift, modulate, quaver, rise... more
11
if waves break, they reach their highest point and start to fall
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
What liquids can do: break, burst, cast up, catch, channel, come in, course, crest, dash, deepen... more
12
if someone breaks a code (=a secret way of writing), they learn how to understand it
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
Codes and codification: alphanumeric, break, CAPTCHA, cipher, code, code, coded, code name, cryptogram, cryptography... more
13
mainly literary if someone’s fever breaks, it starts to become less severe
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To get better after an illness: recovery, survive, recover, respond, fight off, shake, strengthen, heal, stable, revive... more

phrases

break your back
to work extremely hard to get something done
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To work hard: work at, forge, overwork, slave, apply yourself, put your back into something, buckle down, slog, exert yourself, work on... more
break the back of something
British
to finish the main part or the hardest part of a piece of work
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To finish something: complete, end, carry through, conclude, get through, clear, wrap up, turn around, get something out of the way, call it a day/night... more
break the bank
to win more at gambling than the casino can pay you
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To gamble money: gamble, bet, stake, back, put on, place, see, put money on something, break the bank, put your shirt on something... more
break cover
to suddenly appear from where you have been hiding
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To appear slightly, suddenly or temporarily: emerge, pop up, spring up, crop up, descend on, spring, materialize, erupt, come and go, break through... more
break even
if a person or business breaks even, they neither make a profit nor lose money
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
Relating to making profit: commercial, speculative, pay, boom, yield, boom, speculation, profitability, arbitrage, commercialism... more
break someone’s fall
to stop someone who is falling from hitting the ground directly, so that they hurt themselves less than they would have done
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To stop someone or something from falling: catch, prop up, hold up, support, break someone’s fall, shore up, bear, brace, carry... more
break free
1. 1
  to escape from someone who is trying to hold you
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To escape from a place or situation: escape, get away, break away, flee, break for, break out, throw off, bolt, make a break (for something), make off with... more
2. 2
  to escape from an unpleasant person or situation that controls your life
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To escape from a place or situation: escape, get away, break away, flee, break for, break out, throw off, bolt, make a break (for something), make off with... more
break a habit
to stop doing something that is a habit, especially something bad or harmful
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To give up doing something: give up, swear off, grow out of, cut out, abandon, kick, cut down, chuck in, give in, break a habit... more
break someone’s heart
1. 1
  to upset someone very much, especially by letting them know that you do not love them. You can also say that someone’s heart breaks or that they have a broken heart
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To make someone feel sad or upset: upset, wound, disturb, depress, distress, devastate, dismay, stab, worry, hang over... more
2. 2
  it breaks someone’s heart
  spoken used for saying that something upsets someone very much
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To make someone feel sad or upset: upset, wound, disturb, depress, distress, devastate, dismay, stab, worry, hang over... more
break the ice
to do or say something that makes people feel less shy or nervous in a social situation
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To make someone less nervous or upset: soothe, comfort, reassure, allay, put/set someone’s mind at ease/at rest, put someone at (their) ease, console, defuse, talk down, cheer up... more
break your journey
British
to stop somewhere for a short time during a journey
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
Booking on and travelling by transport: aboard, afloat, aisle seat, arr., board, book on, bookable, booking, booking office, bus... more
break a leg
spoken
used for wishing someone good luck
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
Ways of wishing someone luck: good luck, break a leg, better luck next time, fair play to someone, (the) same to you, (the) best of luck... more
break the mould
to change a situation completely, or to do something in a completely new way
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To become different: change, turn into, change into, convert, go over to, become, alter, diversify, tend, develop... more
break someone’s neck
spoken
if someone says they will break your neck, they are threatening to hurt you very badly because they are angry with you
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
Ways of threatening someone: watch it, or else, if someone isn’t careful, just (you) wait (until/till), do you want something?, don’t even think about/of doing something, what’s your problem?, (is that) understood?, on/under pain of something, break someone’s neck... more
break new ground
to do something completely different from what has been done before
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To start doing something new or different: strike out, branch out, pioneer, change over, change, try your hand at something, turn your hand to something, give something a try, sample... more
break ranks
1. 1
  if a member of a group breaks ranks, they disagree publicly with the rest of the group
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  To argue: argue, bicker, cavil, clash, dispute, feud, fight, fight it out, haggle, harry... more
2. 2
  if soldiers or police officers break ranks, they stop standing in lines and move away
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  Fighting in a war and relating to fighting in a war: action stations, active duty, active service, aggressor, air cover, battle cry, beleaguered, belligerent, black out, blackout... more
break a record
to do something that is better, faster etc than anything that has been done before
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To do something well or better than someone else: excel, distinguish yourself, smash a record, make history, shine, crown, upstage, trump, perform, cap... more
break someone’s serve/service
in tennis, to win a game in which your opponent is serving
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
Tennis: ace, advantage, ball boy, ball girl, break, break point, clay, the Davis Cup, deuce, doubles... more
break the spell
mainly literary
to spoil or end something very special
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
To have a bad effect, or to reduce a good effect: damage, spoil, harm, contaminate, bite, offset, cancel out, overshadow, taint, nullify... more
break a strike
1. 1
  to end a situation in which workers have been on strike
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  Strikes and other union activity: action, blackleg, collective bargaining, come out, cooling-off period, direct action, flying picket, general strike, go out on strike, go-slow... more
2. 2
  to start working again when you have been on strike
  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
  Strikes and other union activity: action, blackleg, collective bargaining, come out, cooling-off period, direct action, flying picket, general strike, go out on strike, go-slow... more
break wind
to allow gas to come out of your bottom
something won’t break the bank
informal
used for saying that something does not cost very much money
*Synonyms or related words for this sense of break*
Cheap and inexpensive: cheap, economic, competitive, economy, economical, affordable, inexpensive, going cheap... more

phrasal verbs

These are synonyms and/or related words for break in the British English Thesaurus. View synonyms and/or related words for break in the American English Thesaurus.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

showmance

a romantic relationship between two members of the cast of a play, film or television series

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a type of soft stone that is often carved to make decorations

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human-readable

able to be read and understood by people

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break - thesaurus entry

What are red words?

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phrases

break your back

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break the back of something

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break the bank

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break cover

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break even

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break someone’s fall

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break free

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break a habit

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break someone’s heart

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it breaks someone’s heart

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break the ice

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break your journey

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break a leg

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break the mould

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break someone’s neck

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break new ground

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break ranks

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break a record

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break someone’s serve/service

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break the spell

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break a strike

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break wind

something won’t break the bank

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phrasal verbs

showmance

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