From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Break \Break\ (br[=a]k), v. t. [imp. {broke} (br[=o]k), (Obs.
{Brake}); p. p. {Broken} (br[=o]"k'n), (Obs. {Broke}); p. pr.
& vb. n. {Breaking}.] [OE. breken, AS. brecan; akin to OS.
brekan, D. breken, OHG. brehhan, G. brechen, Icel. braka to
creak, Sw. braka, br[aum]kka to crack, Dan. br[ae]kke to
break, Goth. brikan to break, L. frangere. Cf. {Bray} to
pound, {Breach}, {Fragile}.]
1. To strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with
violence; as, to break a rope or chain; to break a seal;
to break an axle; to break rocks or coal; to break a lock.
--Shak.
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2. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a
package of goods.
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3. To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or
communicate.
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Katharine, break thy mind to me. --Shak.
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4. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise.
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Out, out, hyena! these are thy wonted arts . . .
To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray.
--Milton
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5. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or
terminate; as, to break silence; to break one's sleep; to
break one's journey.
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Go, release them, Ariel;
My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore.
--Shak.
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6. To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as,
to break a set.
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7. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to
pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British
squares.
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8. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments.
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The victim broke in pieces the musical instruments
with which he had solaced the hours of captivity.
--Prescott.
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9. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller
denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill.
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10. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as,
to break flax.
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11. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind.
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An old man, broken with the storms of state.
--Shak.
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12. To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a
fall or blow.
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I'll rather leap down first, and break your fall.
--Dryden.
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13. To impart, as news or information; to broach; -- with to,
and often with a modified word implying some reserve; as,
to break the news gently to the widow; to break a purpose
cautiously to a friend.
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14. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to
discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or
saddle. "To break a colt." --Spenser.
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Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute?
--Shak.
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15. To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to
ruin.
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With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks,
Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks.
--Dryden.
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16. To destroy the official character and standing of; to
cashier; to dismiss.
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I see a great officer broken. --Swift.
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Note: With prepositions or adverbs:
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{To break down}.
(a) To crush; to overwhelm; as, to break down one's
strength; to break down opposition.
(b) To remove, or open a way through, by breaking; as, to
break down a door or wall.
{To break in}.
(a) To force in; as, to break in a door.
(b) To train; to discipline; as, a horse well broken in.
{To break of}, to rid of; to cause to abandon; as, to break
one of a habit.
{To break off}.
(a) To separate by breaking; as, to break off a twig.
(b) To stop suddenly; to abandon. "Break off thy sins by
righteousness." --Dan. iv. 27.
{To break open}, to open by breaking. "Open the door, or I
will break it open." --Shak.
{To break out}, to take or force out by breaking; as, to
break out a pane of glass.
{To break out a cargo}, to unstow a cargo, so as to unload it
easily.
{To break through}.
(a) To make an opening through, as, as by violence or the
force of gravity; to pass violently through; as, to
break through the enemy's lines; to break through the
ice.
(b) To disregard; as, to break through the ceremony.
{To break up}.
(a) To separate into parts; to plow (new or fallow
ground). "Break up this capon." --Shak. "Break up
your fallow ground." --Jer. iv. 3.
(b) To dissolve; to put an end to. "Break up the court."
--Shak.
{To break} (one) {all up}, to unsettle or disconcert
completely; to upset. [Colloq.]
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Note: With an immediate object:
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{To break the back}.
(a) To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable totally.
(b) To get through the worst part of; as, to break the
back of a difficult undertaking.
{To break bulk}, to destroy the entirety of a load by
removing a portion of it; to begin to unload; also, to
transfer in detail, as from boats to cars.
{To break a code} to discover a method to convert coded
messages into the original understandable text.
{To break cover}, to burst forth from a protecting
concealment, as game when hunted.
{To break a deer} or {To break a stag}, to cut it up and
apportion the parts among those entitled to a share.
{To break fast}, to partake of food after abstinence. See
{Breakfast}.
{To break ground}.
(a) To open the earth as for planting; to commence
excavation, as for building, siege operations, and
the like; as, to break ground for a foundation, a
canal, or a railroad.
(b) Fig.: To begin to execute any plan.
(c) (Naut.) To release the anchor from the bottom.
{To break the heart}, to crush or overwhelm (one) with grief.
{To break a house} (Law), to remove or set aside with
violence and a felonious intent any part of a house or of
the fastenings provided to secure it.
{To break the ice}, to get through first difficulties; to
overcome obstacles and make a beginning; to introduce a
subject.
{To break jail}, to escape from confinement in jail, usually
by forcible means.
{To break a jest}, to utter a jest. "Patroclus . . . the
livelong day breaks scurril jests." --Shak.
{To break joints}, to lay or arrange bricks, shingles, etc.,
so that the joints in one course shall not coincide with
those in the preceding course.
{To break a lance}, to engage in a tilt or contest.
{To break the neck}, to dislocate the joints of the neck.
{To break no squares}, to create no trouble. [Obs.]
{To break a path}, {road}, etc., to open a way through
obstacles by force or labor.
{To break upon a wheel}, to execute or torture, as a criminal
by stretching him upon a wheel, and breaking his limbs
with an iron bar; -- a mode of punishment formerly
employed in some countries.
{To break wind}, to give vent to wind from the anus.
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Syn: To dispart; rend; tear; shatter; batter; violate;
infringe; demolish; destroy; burst; dislocate.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Break \Break\ (br[=a]k), v. i.
1. To come apart or divide into two or more pieces, usually
with suddenness and violence; to part; to burst asunder.
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2. To open spontaneously, or by pressure from within, as a
bubble, a tumor, a seed vessel, a bag.
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Else the bottle break, and the wine runneth out.
--Math. ix.
17.
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3. To burst forth; to make its way; to come to view; to
appear; to dawn.
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The day begins to break, and night is fled. --Shak.
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And from the turf a fountain broke,
and gurgled at our feet. --Wordsworth.
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4. To burst forth violently, as a storm.
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The clouds are still above; and, while I speak,
A second deluge o'er our head may break. --Dryden.
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5. To open up; to be scattered; to be dissipated; as, the
clouds are breaking.
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At length the darkness begins to break. --Macaulay.
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6. To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose
health or strength.
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See how the dean begins to break;
Poor gentleman! he droops apace. --Swift.
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7. To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief; as, my
heart is breaking.
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8. To fall in business; to become bankrupt.
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He that puts all upon adventures doth oftentimes
break, and come to poverty. --Bacn.
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9. To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait;
as, to break into a run or gallop.
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10. To fail in musical quality; as, a singer's voice breaks
when it is strained beyond its compass and a tone or note
is not completed, but degenerates into an unmusical sound
instead. Also, to change in tone, as a boy's voice at
puberty.
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11. To fall out; to terminate friendship.
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To break upon the score of danger or expense is to
be mean and narrow-spirited. --Collier.
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Note: With prepositions or adverbs:
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{To break away}, to disengage one's self abruptly; to come or
go away against resistance.
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Fear me not, man; I will not break away. --Shak.
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{To break down}.
(a) To come down by breaking; as, the coach broke down.
(b) To fail in any undertaking; to halt before successful
completion; as, the negotiations broke down due to
irreconcilable demands.
(c) To cease functioning or to malfunction; as, the car
broke down in the middle of the highway.
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He had broken down almost at the outset.
--Thackeray.
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{To break forth}, to issue; to come out suddenly, as sound,
light, etc. "Then shall thy light break forth as the
morning." --Isa. lviii. 8;
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Note: often with into in expressing or giving vent to one's
feelings. "Break forth into singing, ye mountains."
--Isa. xliv. 23.
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{To break from}, to go away from abruptly.
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This radiant from the circling crowd he broke.
--Dryden.
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{To break into}, to enter by breaking; as, to break into a
house.
{To break in upon}, to enter or approach violently or
unexpectedly. "This, this is he; softly awhile; let us not
break in upon him." --Milton.
{To break loose}.
(a) To extricate one's self forcibly. "Who would not,
finding way, break loose from hell?" --Milton.
(b) To cast off restraint, as of morals or propriety.
{To break off}.
(a) To become separated by rupture, or with suddenness
and violence.
(b) To desist or cease suddenly. "Nay, forward, old man;
do not break off so." --Shak.
{To break off from}, to desist from; to abandon, as a habit.
{To break out}.
(a) To burst forth; to escape from restraint; to appear
suddenly, as a fire or an epidemic. "For in the
wilderness shall waters break out, and stream in the
desert." --Isa. xxxv. 6
(b) To show itself in cutaneous eruptions; -- said of a
disease.
(c) To have a rash or eruption on the akin; -- said of a
patient.
{To break over}, to overflow; to go beyond limits.
{To break up}.
(a) To become separated into parts or fragments; as, the
ice break up in the rivers; the wreck will break up
in the next storm.
(b) To disperse. "The company breaks up." --I. Watts.
{To break upon}, to discover itself suddenly to; to dawn
upon.
{To break with}.
(a) To fall out; to sever one's relations with; to part
friendship. "It can not be the Volsces dare break
with us." --Shak. "If she did not intend to marry
Clive, she should have broken with him altogether."
--Thackeray.
(b) To come to an explanation; to enter into conference;
to speak. [Obs.] "I will break with her and with her
father." --Shak.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Break \Break\ (br[=a]k), n. [See {Break}, v. t., and cf. {Brake}
(the instrument), {Breach}, {Brack} a crack.]
1. An opening made by fracture or disruption.
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2. An interruption of continuity; change of direction; as, a
break in a wall; a break in the deck of a ship.
Specifically:
(a) (Arch.) A projection or recess from the face of a
building.
(b) (Elec.) An opening or displacement in the circuit,
interrupting the electrical current.
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3. An interruption; a pause; as, a break in friendship; a
break in the conversation.
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4. An interruption in continuity in writing or printing, as
where there is an omission, an unfilled line, etc.
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All modern trash is
Set forth with numerous breaks and dashes. --Swift.
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5. The first appearing, as of light in the morning; the dawn;
as, the break of day; the break of dawn.
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6. A large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and
calash top, with the driver's seat in front and the
footman's behind.
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7. A device for checking motion, or for measuring friction.
See {Brake}, n. 9 & 10.
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8. (Teleg.) See {Commutator}.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
break
n 1: some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity;
"the telephone is an annoying interruption"; "there was a
break in the action when a player was hurt" [syn:
{interruption}, {break}]
2: an unexpected piece of good luck; "he finally got his big
break" [syn: {break}, {good luck}, {happy chance}]
3: (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the
displacement of one side with respect to the other; "they
built it right over a geological fault"; "he studied the
faulting of the earth's crust" [syn: {fault}, {faulting},
{geological fault}, {shift}, {fracture}, {break}]
4: a personal or social separation (as between opposing
factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations" [syn:
{rupture}, {breach}, {break}, {severance}, {rift}, {falling
out}]
5: a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute
break"; "he took time out to recuperate" [syn: {respite},
{recess}, {break}, {time out}]
6: the act of breaking something; "the breakage was unavoidable"
[syn: {breakage}, {break}, {breaking}]
7: a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation
of something [syn: {pause}, {intermission}, {break},
{interruption}, {suspension}]
8: breaking of hard tissue such as bone; "it was a nasty
fracture"; "the break seems to have been caused by a fall"
[syn: {fracture}, {break}]
9: the occurrence of breaking; "the break in the dam threatened
the valley"
10: an abrupt change in the tone or register of the voice (as at
puberty or due to emotion); "then there was a break in her
voice"
11: the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or
pool
12: (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your
opponent was serving; "he was up two breaks in the second
set" [syn: {break}, {break of serve}]
13: an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity; "it was
presented without commercial breaks"; "there was a gap in
his account" [syn: {break}, {interruption}, {disruption},
{gap}]
14: a sudden dash; "he made a break for the open door"
15: any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare;
"the break in the eighth frame cost him the match" [syn:
{open frame}, {break}]
16: an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned"
[syn: {break}, {breakout}, {jailbreak}, {gaolbreak},
{prisonbreak}, {prison-breaking}]
v 1: terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky
streak"; "break the cycle of poverty" [syn: {interrupt},
{break}]
2: become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine
broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart" [syn: {break},
{separate}, {split up}, {fall apart}, {come apart}]
3: render inoperable or ineffective; "You broke the alarm clock
when you took it apart!"
4: ruin completely; "He busted my radio!" [syn: {break}, {bust}]
[ant: {bushel}, {doctor}, {fix}, {furbish up}, {mend},
{repair}, {restore}, {touch on}]
5: destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate
into pieces or fragments; "He broke the glass plate"; "She
broke the match"
6: act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises;
"offend all laws of humanity"; "violate the basic laws or
human civilization"; "break a law"; "break a promise" [syn:
{transgress}, {offend}, {infract}, {violate}, {go against},
{breach}, {break}] [ant: {keep}, {observe}]
7: move away or escape suddenly; "The horses broke from the
stable"; "Three inmates broke jail"; "Nobody can break out--
this prison is high security" [syn: {break}, {break out},
{break away}]
8: scatter or part; "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"
9: force out or release suddenly and often violently something
pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger" [syn: {break},
{burst}, {erupt}]
10: prevent completion; "stop the project"; "break off the
negotiations" [syn: {break}, {break off}, {discontinue},
{stop}]
11: enter someone's (virtual or real) property in an
unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or
commit a violent act; "Someone broke in while I was on
vacation"; "They broke into my car and stole my radio!";
"who broke into my account last night?" [syn: {break in},
{break}]
12: make submissive, obedient, or useful; "The horse was tough
to break"; "I broke in the new intern" [syn: {break in},
{break}]
13: fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or
patterns; "This sentence violates the rules of syntax" [syn:
{violate}, {go against}, {break}] [ant: {conform to}]
14: surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break
a record" [syn: {better}, {break}]
15: make known to the public information that was previously
known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a
secret; "The auction house would not disclose the price at
which the van Gogh had sold"; "The actress won't reveal how
old she is"; "bring out the truth"; "he broke the news to
her"; "unwrap the evidence in the murder case" [syn:
{unwrap}, {disclose}, {let on}, {bring out}, {reveal},
{discover}, {expose}, {divulge}, {break}, {give away}, {let
out}]
16: come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices
broke in the air"
17: stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went";
"The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke
down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The
engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after
the accident" [syn: {fail}, {go bad}, {give way}, {die},
{give out}, {conk out}, {go}, {break}, {break down}]
18: interrupt a continued activity; "She had broken with the
traditional patterns" [syn: {break}, {break away}]
19: make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by
quitting or fleeing; "The ranks broke"
20: curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The
surf broke"
21: lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"
[syn: {dampen}, {damp}, {soften}, {weaken}, {break}]
22: be broken in; "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add
some stress"
23: come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"
24: vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat
plain was broken by tall mesas"
25: cause to give up a habit; "She finally broke herself of
smoking cigarettes"
26: give up; "break cigarette smoking"
27: come forth or begin from a state of latency; "The first
winter storm broke over New York"
28: happen or take place; "Things have been breaking pretty well
for us in the past few months"
29: cause the failure or ruin of; "His peccadilloes finally
broke his marriage"; "This play will either make or break
the playwright" [ant: {make}]
30: invalidate by judicial action; "The will was broken"
31: discontinue an association or relation; go different ways;
"The business partners broke over a tax question"; "The
couple separated after 25 years of marriage"; "My friend and
I split up" [syn: {separate}, {part}, {split up}, {split},
{break}, {break up}]
32: assign to a lower position; reduce in rank; "She was demoted
because she always speaks up"; "He was broken down to
Sergeant" [syn: {demote}, {bump}, {relegate}, {break}, {kick
downstairs}] [ant: {advance}, {elevate}, {kick upstairs},
{promote}, {raise}, {upgrade}]
33: reduce to bankruptcy; "My daughter's fancy wedding is going
to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets smashed
him" [syn: {bankrupt}, {ruin}, {break}, {smash}]
34: change directions suddenly
35: emerge from the surface of a body of water; "The whales
broke"
36: break down, literally or metaphorically; "The wall
collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The dam broke"; "The
roof collapsed"; "The wall gave in"; "The roof finally gave
under the weight of the ice" [syn: {collapse}, {fall in},
{cave in}, {give}, {give way}, {break}, {founder}]
37: do a break dance; "Kids were break-dancing at the street
corner" [syn: {break dance}, {break-dance}, {break}]
38: exchange for smaller units of money; "I had to break a $100
bill just to buy the candy"
39: destroy the completeness of a set of related items; "The
book dealer would not break the set" [syn: {break}, {break
up}]
40: make the opening shot that scatters the balls
41: separate from a clinch, in boxing; "The referee broke the
boxers"
42: go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears
wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"
[syn: {break}, {wear}, {wear out}, {bust}, {fall apart}]
43: break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree"
[syn: {break}, {break off}, {snap off}]
44: become punctured or penetrated; "The skin broke"
45: pierce or penetrate; "The blade broke her skin"
46: be released or become known; of news; "News of her death
broke in the morning" [syn: {break}, {get out}, {get
around}]
47: cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station
identification"; "let's break for lunch" [syn: {pause},
{intermit}, {break}]
48: interrupt the flow of current in; "break a circuit"
49: undergo breaking; "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic
languages"
50: find a flaw in; "break an alibi"; "break down a proof"
51: find the solution or key to; "break the code"
52: change suddenly from one tone quality or register to
another; "Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to
talk about her children"
53: happen; "Report the news as it develops"; "These political
movements recrudesce from time to time" [syn: {break},
{recrudesce}, {develop}]
54: become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The
glass cracked when it was heated" [syn: {crack}, {check},
{break}]
55: crack; of the male voice in puberty; "his voice is breaking
--he should no longer sing in the choir"
56: fall sharply; "stock prices broke"
57: fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"
[syn: {fracture}, {break}]
58: diminish or discontinue abruptly; "The patient's fever broke
last night"
59: weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was
broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-
death"
From The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003) [jargon]:
break
1. vt. To cause to be {broken} (in any sense). ?Your latest patch to the
editor broke the paragraph commands.?
2. v. (of a program) To stop temporarily, so that it may debugged. The
place where it stops is a breakpoint.
3. [techspeak] vi. To send an RS-232 break (two character widths of line
high) over a serial comm line.
4. [Unix] vi. To strike whatever key currently causes the tty driver to
send SIGINT to the current process. Normally, break (sense 3), delete or
{control-C} does this.
5. break break may be said to interrupt a conversation (this is an example
of verb doubling). This usage comes from radio communications, which in
turn probably came from landline telegraph/teleprinter usage, as badly
abused in the Citizen's Band craze of the early 1980s.
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