break /breɪk/
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"
synset: interruption, break
2. an unexpected piece of good luck; "he finally got his big break"
synset: 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"
synset: 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"
synset: 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"
synset: respite, recess, break, time_out
6. the act of breaking something; "the breakage was unavoidable"
synset: breakage, break, breaking
7. a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
synset: 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"
9. the occurrence of breaking; "the break in the dam threatened the valley"
synset: break
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"
synset: break
11. the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool
synset: break
12. (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving; "he was up two breaks in the second set"
synset: 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"
synset: break, interruption, disruption, gap
14. a sudden dash; "he made a break for the open door"
synset: break
15. any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare; "the break in the eighth frame cost him the match"
synset: open_frame, break
16. an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned"
synset: break, breakout, jailbreak, gaolbreak, prisonbreak, prison-breaking
1. terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky streak"; "break the cycle of poverty"
2. become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart"
synset: break, separate, split_up, fall_apart, come_apart
3. render inoperable or ineffective; "You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!"
synset: break
4. ruin completely; "He busted my radio!"
antonym: repair, mend, fix, bushel, doctor, furbish_up, 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"
synset: break
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"
synset: transgress, offend, infract, violate, go_against, breach, break
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"
synset: break, break_out, break_away
8. scatter or part; "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"
synset: break
9. force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger"
10. prevent completion; "stop the project"; "break off the negotiations"
synset: 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?"
12. make submissive, obedient, or useful; "The horse was tough to break"; "I broke in the new intern"
13. fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns; "This sentence violates the rules of syntax"
synset: violate, go_against, break
14. surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break a record"
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"; "The newspaper uncovered the President's illegal dealings"
synset: unwrap, disclose, let_on, bring_out, reveal, discover, expose, divulge, break, give_away, let_out, uncover
16. come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices broke in the air"
synset: break
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"
synset: 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"
synset: break, break_away
19. make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing; "The ranks broke"
synset: break
20. curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The surf broke"
synset: break
21. lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"
synset: dampen, damp, soften, weaken, break
22. be broken in; "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress"
synset: break
23. come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"
synset: break
24. vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat plain was broken by tall mesas"
synset: break
25. cause to give up a habit; "She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes"
synset: break
26. give up; "break cigarette smoking"
synset: break
27. come forth or begin from a state of latency; "The first winter storm broke over New York"
synset: break
28. happen or take place; "Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months"
synset: break
29. cause the failure or ruin of; "His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage"; "This play will either make or break the playwright"
synset: break
30. invalidate by judicial action; "The will was broken"
synset: break
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"
synset: 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"
synset: demote, bump, relegate, break, kick_downstairs
antonym: promote, upgrade, advance, kick_upstairs, raise, elevate
33. reduce to bankruptcy; "My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets smashed him"
synset: bankrupt, ruin, break, smash
34. change directions suddenly
synset: break
35. emerge from the surface of a body of water; "The whales broke"
synset: break
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"
synset: collapse, fall_in, cave_in, give, give_way, break, founder
37. do a break dance; "Kids were break-dancing at the street corner"
synset: break_dance, break-dance, break
38. exchange for smaller units of money; "I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy"
synset: break
39. destroy the completeness of a set of related items; "The book dealer would not break the set"
40. make the opening shot that scatters the balls
synset: break
41. separate from a clinch, in boxing; "The referee broke the boxers"
synset: break
42. go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"
synset: break, wear, wear_out, bust, fall_apart
43. break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree"
synset: break, break_off, snap_off
44. become punctured or penetrated; "The skin broke"
synset: break
45. pierce or penetrate; "The blade broke her skin"
synset: break
46. be released or become known; of news; "News of her death broke in the morning"
synset: break, get_out, get_around
47. cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch"
synset: pause, intermit, break
48. interrupt the flow of current in; "break a circuit"
synset: break
49. undergo breaking; "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages"
synset: break
50. find a flaw in; "break an alibi"; "break down a proof"
synset: break
51. find the solution or key to; "break the code"
synset: break
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"
synset: break
53. happen; "Report the news as it develops"; "These political movements recrudesce from time to time"
synset: break, recrudesce, develop
54. become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated"
55. crack; of the male voice in puberty; "his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir"
synset: break
56. fall sharply; "stock prices broke"
synset: break
57. fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"
58. diminish or discontinue abruptly; "The patient's fever broke last night"
synset: break
59. weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death"
synset: break
Princeton University "About WordNet." WordNet. Princeton University. 2010.
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