English Explanatory Dictionary

break

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.
  2. To crack or fracture (bone) under a physical strain.
  3. To divide (something, often money) into smaller units.
  4. To cause (a person or animal) to lose spirit or will; to crush the spirits of.
  5. To turn an animal into a beast of burden.
  6. To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief.
  7. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate.
  8. To end the run of (a play).
  9. To ruin financially.
  10. To fail in business; to go broke, to become bankrupt.
  11. Of prices on the stock exchange: to fall suddenly.
  12. To violate; to fail to adhere to.
noun
  1. An instance of breaking something into two or more pieces.
  2. A physical space that opens up in something or between two things.
  3. An interruption of continuity; departure from or rupture with.
  4. A rest or pause, usually from work.
  5. A time for students to talk or play between lessons.
  6. A scheduled interval of days or weeks between periods of school instruction; a holiday.
  7. A short holiday.
  8. A temporary split with a romantic partner.
  9. An interval or intermission between two parts of a performance, for example a theatre show, broadcast, or sports game.
  10. A significant change in circumstance, attitude, perception, or focus of attention.
  11. A sudden fall in prices on the stock exchange.
  12. The beginning (of the morning).
noun
  1. A section of extended repetition of the percussion break to a song, created by a hip-hop DJ as rhythmic dance music.
verb
  1. To B-boy; to breakdance.
  2. To brake.

Pronunciation

brāk /bɹeɪk/ [bɹʷeɪ̯k] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-break.wav en-us-break.ogg /bɹɛk/ brēk /bɹiːk/ /brɛːk/ /bɹæɪk/

Word forms

break breaks breaking broke brake broken no-table-tags glossary breakest brokest breaketh breaked

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-der. Proto-Germanic *brekaną Proto-West Germanic *brekan Old English brecan Middle English breken English break From Middle English breken, from Old English brecan (“to break”), from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”). Doublet of bray. Cognates Cognates of Germanic origin include Scots brek (“to break”), West Frisian brekke (“to break”), Dutch breken (“to break”), Low German breken (“to break”), German brechen (“to break”), French broyer (“to crush, grind”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (brikan, “to break, destroy”), Norwegian brek (“desire, yearning”). Also cognate with Albanian brishtë (“fragile”), Latin frangō (“break, break up, shatter”, verb), whence English fracture and other terms – fragile, frail, fraction, and fragment. The modern pronunciation shows an irregular change of Early Modern English /ɛː/ to /eɪ/ in the standard language; contrast this with the development of other words such as speak and wreak.

Synonyms

burst bust shatter shear smash split bisect fracture subject tame go against violate fail go down contravene break in break down crack breach gap space break interlapse interspace interstice interstitium opening separation hole shift break time-out breather cessation demurral caesura hiatus halt halting interregnum interruption lapse moratorium pause recess respite resting stoppage stopping suspension playtime day off time off annual leave getaway holiday leave leave of absence time away vac vacation

Antonyms

assemble fix join mend put together repair hold

Related words

breaker

Derived words

a stick in a bundle cannot be broken a twig in a bundle cannot be broken back-breaking bebreak breakability breakable break a butterfly on a wheel break a butterfly on the wheel break a butterfly upon a wheel break a butterfly upon the wheel break a fly on a wheel break a fly on the wheel break a fly upon a wheel break a fly upon the wheel breakage break a lance break and enter break and entry break a promise break ass breakaway break-ax breakback break back breakbeat breakbone break-bones break bulk break camp break character break cover breakdance breakdown break edge breakee breaker breaker bar break-even breakface breakfast break free break from breakfront break gates break-in breaking ball breaking capacity breaking change breaking news breaking point breaking strain breaking wheel break into a run break it break it down break it to breakle break luck breakneck break no squares

Translations

Afrikaans: breek Albanian: prish thyej Albanian: thyen Arabic: اِنْكَسَرَ Arabic: كَسَرَ Arabic: كسر Armenian: ջարդվել Armenian: կոտրվել Armenian: ջարդել Armenian: կոտրել Armenian: կոտրատել Armenian: խախտել Armenian: փչանալ Armenian: փչացնել Aromanian: arup Aromanian: frãngu Aromanian: aspargu Aromanian: crep Assamese: ভাঙা Assamese: ভঙা Azerbaijani: sınmaq Azerbaijani: qırılmaq Azerbaijani: qırmaq Azerbaijani: sındırmaq Azerbaijani: atmaq Azerbaijani: tərgitmək Azerbaijani: pozmaq Azerbaijani: xarab olmaq Azerbaijani: xarab eləmək Bakhtiari: اشکندن Basque: puskatu Basque: hautsi Basque: apurtu Belarusian: лама́цца Belarusian: злама́цца Belarusian: разбіва́цца Belarusian: разбі́цца Belarusian: лама́ць Belarusian: злама́ць Belarusian: разбіва́ць Belarusian: разбі́ць Bhojpuri: तूड़ल Bulgarian: чу́пя се Bulgarian: чу́пя Bulgarian: нарушавам Bulgarian: развалям се Bulgarian: развалям Bulgarian: разбивам Catalan: trencar-se Catalan: rompre's Catalan: trencar Catalan: rompre Chinese Mandarin: 打破 Chinese Mandarin: 破戒 Chinese Mandarin: 犯戒 Chinese Mandarin: 壞 /坏 Chinese Mandarin: 破坏 Chinese Mandarin: 损坏 Maore Comorian: ufusiha Maore Comorian: upasuha Ngazidja Comorian: uvundziha Ngazidja Comorian: uvundza Ngazidja Comorian: huungua Ngazidja Comorian: upasua Cornish: krackya Czech: rozbít se Czech: zlomit se Czech: rozbít Czech: zlomit Czech: porušit Czech: polámat se Czech: přestat fungovat Czech: pokazit se Czech: pokazit Danish: gå i stykker Danish: gå itu Danish: sønderslå Danish: ødelægge Danish: smadre Danish: knuse Danish: brække Danish: bryde Danish: krænke Danish: bryde sammen Dutch: breken Dutch: overtreden Dutch: stukgaan Dutch: kapotgaan Dutch: kapotmaken Dutch: stukmaken Middle Dutch: breken Esperanto: rompi Esperanto: rompiĝi Estonian: murduma Estonian: murdma Estonian: rikkuma Finnish: särkyä Finnish: mennä rikki Finnish: hajota Finnish: murtua Finnish: murtaa Finnish: rikkoa Finnish: särkeä Finnish: taittaa Finnish: hajottaa Finnish: pirstoa Finnish: murskata Finnish: katkaista French: se rompre French: se casser French: se briser French: rompre French: casser French: briser French: fracturer French: passer French: outrepasser French: tomber en panne French: mettre en panne French: rattraper North Frisian: breeg North Frisian: breek North Frisian: breege Old Frisian: breka West-Frisian: brekke Galician: romper Galician: crebar Galician: quebrar Georgian: ტყდომა Georgian: მტვრევა Georgian: მსხვრევა German: zerbrechen German: kaputtgehen German: brechen German: aufhören German: kaputtmachen German: knacken German: aufbrechen German: stoppen German: abbremsen German: trennen German: aufspalten Old High German: brehhan Greek: σπάω Greek: σπάζω Greek: χαλάω Ancient Greek: ῥήγνυμαι Ancient Greek: ῥήγνυμι Hebrew: נשבר Hebrew: שָׁבַר Hebrew: שבר Hebrew: הפר Hebrew: התקלקל Hindi: अंतराल Hindi: टूटना Hungarian: törik Hungarian: eltörik Hungarian: összetörik Hungarian: szakad Hungarian: elszakad Hungarian: tör Hungarian: eltör Hungarian: összetör Hungarian: szakít Hungarian: elszakít Hungarian: elkedvetlenít Hungarian: megtör Icelandic: brotna Icelandic: brjóta Icelandic: skemma Icelandic: eyðileggja Ido: ruptar Indonesian: patah Indonesian: mematahkan Indonesian: memutuskan Afrikaans: breuk Arabic: اِسْتِرَاحَة Armenian: ընդմիջում Azerbaijani: fasilə Belarusian: перапы́нак Belarusian: прэ́рва Bulgarian: па́уза Bulgarian: междуча́сие Chinese Mandarin: 休息 Czech: přestávka Czech: pauza Danish: pause Esperanto: paŭzo Finnish: tauko Finnish: käänne French: pause French: changement German: Pause German: Umschwung Greek: διάλειμμα Ancient Greek: ἀνάπαυσις Hungarian: szünet Italian: pausa Italian: sosta Japanese: 休憩 Khmer: ល្ហែ Korean: 휴게
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