Synonyms of break

Noun

1. interruption, break, happening, occurrence, occurrent, natural event

usage: 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"

2. break, good luck, happy chance, accident, stroke, fortuity, chance event

usage: an unexpected piece of good luck; "he finally got his big break"

3. fault, faulting, geological fault, shift, fracture, break, crack, cleft, crevice, fissure, scissure

usage: (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"

4. rupture, breach, break, severance, rift, falling out, separation, breakup, detachment

usage: a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations"

5. respite, recess, break, time out, pause

usage: a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute break"; "he took time out to recuperate"

6. breakage, break, breaking, change of integrity

usage: the act of breaking something; "the breakage was unavoidable"

7. pause, intermission, break, interruption, suspension, time interval, interval

usage: a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

8. fracture, break, injury, hurt, harm, trauma

usage: breaking of hard tissue such as bone; "it was a nasty fracture"; "the break seems to have been caused by a fall"

9. break, separation, breakup, detachment

usage: the occurrence of breaking; "the break in the dam threatened the valley"

10. break, change, alteration, modification

usage: 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. break, stroke, shot

usage: the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool

12. break, break of serve, score

usage: (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving; "he was up two breaks in the second set"

13. break, interruption, disruption, gap, delay, holdup

usage: an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity; "it was presented without commercial breaks"; "there was a gap in his account"

14. break, dash, sprint

usage: a sudden dash; "he made a break for the open door"

15. open frame, break, score

usage: any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare; "the break in the eighth frame cost him the match"

16. break, breakout, jailbreak, gaolbreak, prisonbreak, prison-breaking, escape, flight

usage: an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned"

Verb

1. interrupt, break, end, terminate

usage: terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky streak"; "break the cycle of poverty"

2. break, separate, split up, fall apart, come apart, change integrity

usage: become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart"

3. break, damage

usage: render inoperable or ineffective; "You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!"

4. break, bust, destroy, ruin

usage: ruin completely; "He busted my radio!"

5. break, separate, divide

usage: destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments; "He broke the glass plate"; "She broke the match"

6. transgress, offend, infract, violate, go against, breach, break, disrespect

usage: 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"

7. break, break out, break away, escape, get away, break loose

usage: move away or escape suddenly; "The horses broke from the stable"; "Three inmates broke jail"; "Nobody can break out--this prison is high security"

8. break, disperse, dissipate, scatter, spread out

usage: scatter or part; "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"

9. break, burst, erupt, express emotion, express feelings

usage: force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger"

10. break, break off, discontinue, stop, end, terminate

usage: prevent completion; "stop the project"; "break off the negotiations"

11. break in, break, trespass, intrude

usage: 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. break in, break, domesticate, domesticize, domesticise, reclaim, tame

usage: make submissive, obedient, or useful; "The horse was tough to break"; "I broke in the new intern"

13. violate, go against, break

usage: fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns; "This sentence violates the rules of syntax"

14. better, break, surpass, outstrip, outmatch, outgo, exceed, outdo, surmount, outperform

usage: surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break a record"

15. unwrap, disclose, let on, bring out, reveal, discover, expose, divulge, break, give away, let out, tell

usage: 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"

16. break, become, go, get

usage: come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices broke in the air"

17. fail, go bad, give way, die, give out, conk out, go, break, break down, change

usage: 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"

18. break, break away, separate, part, split up, split, break, break up

usage: interrupt a continued activity; "She had broken with the traditional patterns"

19. break, flee, fly, take flight

usage: make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing; "The ranks broke"

20. break, collapse, fall in, cave in, give, give way, break, founder

usage: curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The surf broke"

21. dampen, damp, soften, weaken, break, deaden, blunt

usage: lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"

22. break, change

usage: be broken in; "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress"

23. break, end, stop, finish, terminate, cease

usage: come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"

24. break, change, alter, vary

usage: vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat plain was broken by tall mesas"

25. break

usage: cause to give up a habit; "She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes"

26. break, discontinue, stop, cease, give up, quit, lay off

usage: give up; "break cigarette smoking"

27. break, come forth, emerge

usage: come forth or begin from a state of latency; "The first winter storm broke over New York"

28. break, happen, hap, go on, pass off, occur, pass, fall out, come about, take place

usage: happen or take place; "Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months"

29. break, ruin

usage: cause the failure or ruin of; "His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage"; "This play will either make or break the playwright"

30. break, invalidate, annul, quash, void, avoid, nullify

usage: invalidate by judicial action; "The will was broken"

31. separate, part, split up, split, break, break up

usage: 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"

32. demote, bump, relegate, break, kick downstairs, delegate, designate, depute, assign

usage: assign to a lower position; reduce in rank; "She was demoted because she always speaks up"; "He was broken down to Sergeant"

33. bankrupt, ruin, break, smash, impoverish

usage: reduce to bankruptcy; "My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets smashed him"

34. break, switch, shift, change

usage: change directions suddenly

35. break, appear

usage: emerge from the surface of a body of water; "The whales broke"

36. collapse, fall in, cave in, give, give way, break, founder, change

usage: 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"

37. break dance, break-dance, break, dance, trip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toe

usage: do a break dance; "Kids were break-dancing at the street corner"

38. break, change, exchange, commute, convert

usage: exchange for smaller units of money; "I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy"

39. break, break up, change, alter, modify

usage: destroy the completeness of a set of related items; "The book dealer would not break the set"

40. break, shoot

usage: make the opening shot that scatters the balls

41. break, separate, disunite, divide, part

usage: separate from a clinch, in boxing; "The referee broke the boxers"

42. break, wear, wear out, bust, fall apart, decay, crumble, dilapidate

usage: go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"

43. break, break off, snap off, detach

usage: break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree"

44. break

usage: become punctured or penetrated; "The skin broke"

45. break, penetrate, perforate

usage: pierce or penetrate; "The blade broke her skin"

46. break, get out, get around

usage: be released or become known; of news; "News of her death broke in the morning"

47. pause, intermit, break, interrupt, disrupt, break up, cut off

usage: cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch"

48. break, interrupt, disrupt, break up, cut off

usage: interrupt the flow of current in; "break a circuit"

49. break, diphthongize, diphthongise

usage: undergo breaking; "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages"

50. break, destroy, ruin

usage: find a flaw in; "break an alibi"; "break down a proof"

51. break, solve, work out, figure out, puzzle out, lick, work

usage: find the solution or key to; "break the code"

52. break, switch, shift, change

usage: 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. break, recrudesce, develop, happen, hap, go on, pass off, occur, pass, fall out, come about, take place

usage: happen; "Report the news as it develops"; "These political movements recrudesce from time to time"

54. crack, check, break, change

usage: become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated"

55. break, change state, turn

usage: crack; of the male voice in puberty; "his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir"

56. break, decrease, diminish, lessen, fall

usage: fall sharply; "stock prices broke"

57. fracture, break, injure, wound

usage: fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"

58. break, decrease, diminish, lessen, fall

usage: diminish or discontinue abruptly; "The patient's fever broke last night"

59. break, weaken

usage: weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death"

Definition and meaning of break (Dictionary)