Scrabble Dictionary

Yes

Meaning of break

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1 definition found

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"

WordNet ® Princeton University. http://wordnet.princeton.edu