Separate or cause to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain

• - the rope broke with a loud snap

• - the slate fell from my hand and broke in two on the hard floor

• - windows in the street were broken by the blast

• - break the chocolate into pieces

(of a person or animal) Sustain an injury involving the fracture of a bone or bones in (a part of the body)

• - she had broken her leg in two places

• - what if his leg had broken?

Cause a cut or graze in (the skin)

• - the bite had scarcely broken the skin

Make or become inoperative

• - the machine has broken, and they can't fix it until next week

• - he's broken the video

(of the amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus) Be or cause to be discharged when the sac is ruptured in the first stages of labor

• - she realized her water had broken

Open (a safe) forcibly

Use (a piece of paper currency) to pay for something and receive change out of the transaction

• - she had to break a ten

Exchange (a piece of paper currency of large denomination) for the same amount in smaller denominations

(of two boxers or wrestlers) Come out of a clinch, typically at the referee's command

• - I was acting as referee and telling them to break

Unfurl (a flag or sail)

Succeed in deciphering (a code)

Open (a shotgun or rifle) at the breech

Disprove (an alibi)

Invalidate (a will) through legal process

Interrupt (a continuity, sequence, or course)

• - the new government broke the pattern of growth

• - his concentration was broken by a sound

Put an end to (a silence) by speaking or making contact

Make a pause in (a journey)

• - we will break our journey in Venice

Stop proceedings in order to have a pause or vacation

• - at mid-morning they broke for coffee

Lessen the impact of (a fall)

• - she put out an arm to break her fall

Stop oneself from being subject to (a habit)

Put an end to (a tie in a game) by making a score

(chiefly of an attacking player or team, or of a military force) Make a rush or dash in a particular direction

• - the flight broke to the right and formed a defensive circle

Surpass (a record)

• - the movie broke box-office records

Disconnect or interrupt (an electrical circuit)

(of a pitched or bowled ball) Swerve or dip in direction

(of the ball) Rebound unpredictably

• - the ball broke to Craig but his shot rebounded from the post

(of a bowled cricket ball) Change direction on bouncing, due to spin

Fail to observe (a law, regulation, or agreement)

• - the district attorney says she will prosecute retailers who break the law

• - a legally binding contract that can only be broken by mutual consent

Fail to continue with (a self-imposed discipline)

• - diets started without preparation are broken all the time

Crush the emotional strength, spirit, or resistance of

• - the idea was to better the prisoners, not to break them

(of a person's emotional strength) Give way

• - her self-control finally broke

Destroy the power of (a movement or organization)

Destroy the effectiveness of (a strike), typically by bringing in other people to replace the striking workers

Tame or train (a horse)

Undergo a change or enter a new state, in particular

(of the weather) Change suddenly

• - the weather broke, and thunder rumbled through a leaden sky

(of a storm) Begin violently

(of dawn or day) Begin with the sun rising

• - dawn was just breaking

(of clouds) Move apart and begin to disperse

(of waves) Curl over and dissolve into foam

• - the Caribbean sea breaking gently on the shore

(of a pitched baseball) Curve or drop on its way toward the batter

(of the voice) Falter and change tone, due to emotion

• - her voice broke as she relived the experience

(of a boy's voice) Change in tone and register at puberty

(of a vowel) Develop into a diphthong, under the influence of an adjacent sound

• - breaking due to a following r or h

(of prices on the stock exchange) Fall sharply

(of news or a scandal) Suddenly become public

• - since the news broke I've received thousands of wonderful letters

Make bad news known to someone

Make the first stroke at the beginning of a game of billiards, pool, or snooker