Definitions
1.nounAn instance of breaking something into two or more pieces."The femur has a clean break and so should heal easily."
2.nounA physical space that opens up in something or between two things."He waited minutes for a break in the traffic to cross the highway."
3.nounA rest or pause, usually from work."Let’s take a five-minute break."
4.nounA time for students to talk or play.
5.nounA short holiday."a weekend break on the Isle of Wight"
6.nounA temporary split with a romantic partner."I think we need a break."
7.nounAn interval or intermission between two parts of a performance, for example a theatre show, broadcast, or sports game.
8.nounA significant change in circumstance, attitude, perception, or focus of attention."big break"
9.nounThe beginning (of the morning)."at the break of day"
10.nounAn act of escaping."It was a clean break."
11.nounThe separation between lines, paragraphs or pages of a written text.
12.nounA keystroke or other signal that causes a program to terminate or suspend execution.
13.nounA point or condition in a program at which operation may be suspended during debugging so that the state of the program at that point can be investigated. A breakpoint.
14.nounA change, particularly the end of a spell of persistent good or bad weather.
15.noun:
16.nounA large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash top, with the driver's seat in front and the footman's behind.
17.noun(equitation) A sharp bit or snaffle.
18.nounA short section of music, often between verses, in which some performers stop while others continue."The fiddle break was amazing; it was a pity the singer came back in on the wrong note."
19.nounThe point in the musical scale at which a woodwind instrument is designed to overblow, that is, to move from its lower to its upper register."Crossing the break smoothly is one of the first lessons the young clarinettist needs to master."
20.nounUsu. plural An area along a river that features steep banks, bluffs, or gorges (e.g., Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, US).
21.verbTo separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly."If the vase falls to the floor, it might break."
22.verbTo divide (something, often money) into smaller units."Can you break a hundred-dollar bill for me?"
23.verbTo cause (a person or animal) to lose spirit or will; to crush the spirits of."Her child's death broke Angela."
24.verbTo be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief."My heart is breaking."
25.verbTo interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate."I had won four games in a row, but now you've broken my streak of luck."
26.verbTo ruin financially."The recession broke some small businesses."
27.verbTo violate, to not adhere to."He broke his vows by cheating on his wife."
28.verb(of a fever) To pass the most dangerous part of the illness; to go down, in terms of temperature."Susan's fever broke at about 3 AM, and the doctor said the worst was over."
29.verb(of a spell of settled weather) To end."The forecast says the hot weather will break by midweek."
30.verb(of a storm) To begin; to end."Around midday the storm broke, and the afternoon was calm and sunny."
31.verb(of morning, dawn, day etc.) To arrive."Morning has broken."
32.verbTo render (a game) unchallenging by altering its rules or exploiting loopholes or weaknesses in them in a way that gives a player an unfair advantage."Changing the rules to let white have three extra queens would break chess."
33.verbTo stop, or to cause to stop, functioning properly or altogether."Did you two break the trolley by racing with it?"
34.verbTo cause (a barrier) to no longer bar."break a seal"
35.verbTo destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce."The cavalry were not able to break the British squares."
36.verb(of a wave of water) To collapse into surf, after arriving in shallow water.
37.verbTo burst forth; to make its way; to come into view.
38.verbTo interrupt or cease one's work or occupation temporarily."Let's break for lunch."
39.verbTo interrupt (a fall) by inserting something so that the falling object does not (immediately) hit something else beneath."He survived the jump out the window because the bushes below broke his fall."
40.verbTo disclose or make known an item of news, etc."I don't know how to break this to you, but your cat is not coming back."
41.verb(of a sound) To become audible suddenly.
42.verbTo change a steady state abruptly."His coughing broke the silence."
43.verbTo suddenly become."The arrest was standard, when suddenly the suspect broke ugly."
44.verbOf a male voice, to become deeper at puberty.
45.verbOf a voice, to alter in type due to emotion or strain: in men generally to go up, in women sometimes to go down; to crack."His voice breaks when he gets emotional."
46.verbTo surpass or do better than (a specific number), to do better than (a record), setting a new record."He broke the men's 100-meter record."
47.verb:
48.verb(most often in the passive tense) To demote, to reduce the military rank of.
49.verbTo end (a connection), to disconnect."I couldn't hear a thing he was saying, so I broke the connection and called him back."
50.verb(of an emulsion) To demulsify.
51.verbTo counter-attack
52.verbTo lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate.
53.verbTo become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength.
54.verbTo fail in business; to become bankrupt.
55.verbTo destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of."to break flax"
56.verbTo destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss.
57.verbTo make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait."to break into a run or gallop"
58.verbTo fall out; to terminate friendship.
59.verbTo terminate the execution of a program before normal completion.
60.verbTo suspend the execution of a program during debugging so that the state of the program can be investigated.