Break

To break down
a -	To crush; to overwhelm; as, to break down one's strength; to break down opposition.
b -	To remove, or open a way through, by breaking; as, to break down a door or wall.

To break in
a -	To force in; as, to break in a door.
b -	To train; to discipline; as, a horse well broken in.

To break of
to rid of; to cause to abandon; as, to break one of a habit.

To break off
a -	To separate by breaking; as, to break off a twig.
b -	To stop suddenly; to abandon.

To break open
to open by breaking. - Dan. iv. 27.

To break out
to take or force out by breaking; as, to break out a pane of glass. - Shak.

To break out a cargo
to unstow a cargo, so as to unload it easily.

To break through
a -	To make an opening through, as, as by violence or the force of gravity; to pass violently through; as, to break through the enemy's lines; to break through the ice.
b -	To disregard; as, to break through the ceremony.

To break up
a -	To separate into parts; to plow (new or fallow ground).
b -	To dissolve; to put an end to. - Shak.

To break
to unsettle or disconcert completely; to upset. - Shak.

To break the back
a -	To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable totally.
b -	To get through the worst part of; as, to break the back of a difficult undertaking.

To break bulk
to destroy the entirety of a load by removing a portion of it; to begin to unload; also, to transfer in detail, as from boats to cars.

To break a code
to discover a method to convert coded messages into the original understandable text.

To break cover
to burst forth from a protecting concealment, as game when hunted.

To break a deer
to cut it up and apportion the parts among those entitled to a share.

To break fast
to partake of food after abstinence. See Breakfast.

To break ground
a -	To open the earth as for planting; to commence excavation, as for building, siege operations, and the like; as, to break ground for a foundation, a canal, or a railroad.
b -	Fig.: To begin to execute any plan.
c -	(Naut.) To release the anchor from the bottom.

To break the heart
to crush or overwhelm (one) with grief.

To break a house
(Law) to remove or set aside with violence and a felonious intent any part of a house or of the fastenings provided to secure it.

To break the ice
to get through first difficulties; to overcome obstacles and make a beginning; to introduce a subject.

To break jail
to escape from confinement in jail, usually by forcible means.

To break a jest
to utter a jest.

To break joints
to lay or arrange bricks, shingles, etc., so that the joints in one course shall not coincide with those in the preceding course. - Shak.

To break a lance
to engage in a tilt or contest.

To break the neck
to dislocate the joints of the neck.

To break no squares
to create no trouble.

To break a path
to open a way through obstacles by force or labor.

To break upon a wheel
to execute or torture, as a criminal by stretching him upon a wheel, and breaking his limbs with an iron bar; - a mode of punishment formerly employed in some countries.

To break wind
to give vent to wind from the anus.

v. i.

To come apart or divide into two or more pieces, usually with suddenness and violence; to part; to burst asunder.

To open spontaneously, or by pressure from within, as a bubble, a tumor, a seed vessel, a bag.

Else the bottle break, and the wine runneth out.

- Math. ix. 17.

To burst forth; to make its way; to come to view; to appear; to dawn.

The day begins to break, and night is fled.

- Shak.

And from the turf a fountain broke,
and gurgled at our feet.

- Wordsworth.

To burst forth violently, as a storm.

The clouds are still above; and, while I speak,
A second deluge o'er our head may break.

- Dryden.

To open up; to be scattered; to be dissipated; as, the clouds are breaking.

At length the darkness begins to break.

- Macaulay.

To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength.

See how the dean begins to break;
Poor gentleman! he droops apace.

- Swift.

To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief; as, my heart is breaking.

To fall in business; to become bankrupt.

He that puts all upon adventures doth oftentimes break, and come to poverty.

- Bacn.

To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait; as, to break into a run or gallop.

10.

To fail in musical quality; as, a singer's voice breaks when it is strained beyond its compass and a tone or note is not completed, but degenerates into an unmusical sound instead. Also, to change in tone, as a boy's voice at puberty.

11.

To fall out; to terminate friendship.

To break upon the score of danger or expense is to be mean and narrow-spirited.

- Collier.

To break away
to disengage one's self abruptly; to come or go away against resistance.

Fear me not, man; I will not break away.

- Shak.

To break down
a -	To come down by breaking; as, the coach broke down.
b -	To fail in any undertaking; to halt before successful completion; as, the negotiations broke down due to irreconcilable demands.
c -	To cease functioning or to malfunction; as, the car broke down in the middle of the highway.

He had broken down almost at the outset.

- Thackeray.

This radiant from the circling crowd he broke.

- Dryden.

An opening made by fracture or disruption.

(Arch.) An interruption of continuity; change of direction; as, a break in a wall; a break in the deck of a ship.

An interruption; a pause; as, a break in friendship; a break in the conversation.

An interruption in continuity in writing or printing, as where there is an omission, an unfilled line, etc.

All modern trash is
Set forth with numerous breaks and dashes.

- Swift.

The first appearing, as of light in the morning; the dawn; as, the break of day; the break of dawn.

A large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash top, with the driver's seat in front and the footman's behind.

A device for checking motion, or for measuring friction. See Brake, n. 9 & 10.

(Teleg.) See Commutator.

Noun	1.	break - some abrupt occurrence that interrupts; "the telephone is an annoying interruption"; "there was a break in the action when a player was hurt" Synonyms: interruption
	2.	break - an unexpected piece of good luck; "he finally got his big break" Synonyms: happy chance, good luck
	3.	break - (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" Synonyms: geological fault, fault, fracture, shift
	4.	break - a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations" Synonyms: falling out, severance, rupture, breach, rift
	5.	break - a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute break"; "he took time out to recuperate" Synonyms: time out, respite, recess
	6.	break - the act of breaking something; "the breakage was unavoidable" Synonyms: breaking, breakage
	7.	break - a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something Synonyms: pause, suspension, intermission, interruption
	8.	break - breaking of hard tissue such as bone; "it was a nasty fracture"; "the break seems to have been caused by a fall" Synonyms: fracture
	9.	break - the occurrence of breaking; "the break in the dam threatened the valley"
	10.	break - the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool
	11.	break - (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving; "he was up two breaks in the second set" Synonyms: break of serve
	12.	break - an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity; "it was presented without commercial breaks" Synonyms: disruption, interruption, gap
	13.	break - a sudden dash; "he made a break for the open door"
	14.	break - any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare; "the break in the eighth frame cost him the match" Synonyms: open frame
	15.	break - an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned" Synonyms: breakout, gaolbreak, jailbreak, prison-breaking, prisonbreak
Verb	1.	break - terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky streak"; "break the cycle of poverty" Synonyms: interrupt
	2.	break - become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart" Synonyms: come apart, fall apart, split up, separate
	3.	break - destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments; "He broke the glass plate"; "She broke the match"
	4.	break - render inoperable or ineffective; "You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!"
	5.	break - ruin completely; "He busted my radio!" Synonyms: bust Antonyms: fix, furbish up, mend, repair, bushel, doctor, touch on, restore - restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken; "She repaired her TV set"; "Repair my shoes please"
	6.	break - act in disregard of laws and rules; "offend all laws of humanity"; "violate the basic laws or human civilization"; "break a law" Synonyms: breach, infract, transgress, violate, offend, go against
	7.	break - move away or escape suddenly; "The horses broke from the stable"; "Three inmates broke jail"; "Nobody can break out--this prison is high security" Synonyms: break away, break out
	8.	break - scatter or part; "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"
	9.	break - force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger" Synonyms: burst, erupt
	10.	break - prevent completion; "stop the project"; "break off the negociations" Synonyms: break off, discontinue, stop
	11.	break - enter someone's 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!" Synonyms: break in
	12.	break - make submissive, obedient, or useful; "The horse was tough to break"; "I broke in the new intern" Synonyms: break in
	13.	break - fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns; "This sentence violates the rules of syntax" Synonyms: go against, violate
	14.	break - surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break a record" Synonyms: better
	15.	break - 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" Synonyms: divulge, disclose, let on, let out, reveal, expose, give away, impart, discover, bring out
	16.	break - come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices broke in the air"
	17.	break - 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" Synonyms: conk out, go bad, break down, die, fail, give out, give way, go
	18.	break - interrupt a continued activity; "She had broken with the traditional patterns" Synonyms: break away
	19.	break - make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing; "The ranks broke"
	20.	break - curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The surf broke"
	21.	break - lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall" Synonyms: soften, damp, weaken, dampen
	22.	break - be broken in; "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress"
	23.	break - come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"
	24.	break - vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat plain was broken by tall mesas"
	25.	break - cause to give up a habit; "She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes"
	26.	break - give up; "break cigarette smoking"
	27.	break - come forth or begin from a state of latency; "The first winter storm broke over New York"
	28.	break - happen or take place; "Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months"
	29.	break - cause the failure or ruin of; "His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage"; "This play will either make or break the playwright" Antonyms: make - assure the success of; "A good review by this critic will make your play!"
	30.	break - invalidate by judicial action; "The will was broken"
	31.	break - 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" Synonyms: break up, part, split, split up, separate
	32.	break - assign to a lower position; reduce in rank; "She was demoted because she always speaks up"; "He was broken down to Sargeant" Synonyms: demote, kick downstairs, relegate, bump
	33.	break - reduce to bankruptcy; "My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets smashed him" Synonyms: bankrupt, ruin, smash
	34.	break - change directions suddenly
	35.	break - emerge from the surface of a body of water; "The whales broke"
	36.	break - 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" Synonyms: cave in, collapse, fall in, give way, founder, give
	37.	break - do a break dance; "Kids were break-dancing at the street corner" Synonyms: break dance, break-dance
	38.	break - exchange for smaller units of money; "I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy"
	39.	break - destroy the completeness of a set of related items; "The book dealer would not break the set" Synonyms: break up
	40.	break - make the opening shot that scatters the balls
	41.	break - separate from a clinch, in boxing; "The referee broke the boxers"
	42.	break - go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely" Synonyms: fall apart, wear out, bust, wear
	43.	break - break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree" Synonyms: snap off, break off
	44.	break - become punctured or penetrated; "The skin broke"
	45.	break - pierce or penetrate; "The blade broke her skin"
	46.	break - be released or become known; of news; "News of her death broke in the morning" Synonyms: get around, get out
	47.	break - cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch" Synonyms: intermit, pause
	48.	break - interrupt the flow of current in; "break a circuit"
	49.	break - undergo breaking; "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages"
	50.	break - find a flaw in; "break an alibi"; "break down a proof"
	51.	break - find the solution or key to; "break the code"
	52.	break - 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 - happen; "Report the news as it develops"; "These political movements recrudesce from time to time" Synonyms: recrudesce, develop
	54.	break - become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated" Synonyms: crack, check
	55.	break - of the male voice in puberty; "his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir"
	56.	break - fall sharply; "stock prices broke"
	57.	break - fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey" Synonyms: fracture
	58.	break - diminish or discontinue abruptly; "The patient's fever broke last night"
	59.	break - weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death"

1.		break - To cause to be broken (in any sense). "Your latest patch to the editor broke the paragraph commands."
2.		break - (Of a program) To stop temporarily, so that it may debugged. The place where it stops is a "breakpoint".
3.		break - To send an EIA-232 break (two character widths of line high) over a serial line.
4.		break - [Unix] To strike whatever key currently causes the tty driver to send SIGINT to the current process. Normally, break, delete or control-C does this.
5.		break - "break break" may be said to interrupt a conversation (this is an example of verb doubling). This usage comes from radio communications, which in turn probably came from landline telegraph/teleprinter usage, as badly abused in the Citizen's Band craze a few years ago.
6.		break - pipeline break.

abeyance, about ship, about-face, abrade, abrasion, abscond, abysm, abyss, accidentality, acclimate, acclimatize, accommodate, accommodation, accustom, actuarial calculation, adapt, adaptation, adjust, adjustment, adventitiousness, agree to disagree, alienation, alter, alteration, ameliorate, amelioration, announce, apostasy, appear, apprentice, arrearage, arroyo, back and fill, bankrupt, bark, be at cross-purposes, be changed, be converted into, be poised, be renewed, be ruined, bear away, bear market, bear off, bear to starboard, bearish market, beat, beat about, beat down, become insolvent, become public, bed, bed down, befall, begin, bend, betide, betterment, billow, blemish, blessing, bloody, blooper, blow, boner, boo-boo, boot, bottom out, bounce, box canyon, box off, breach of friendship, break, break away, break down, break forth, break ground, break in, break of, break off, break open, break out, break the ice, break through, break to harness, break up, break with, breakage, breakout, breath, breathe, breather, breathing place, breathing space, breathing spell, breathing time, breed, bridle, brighten, bring about, bring low, bring round, bring to terms, bring up, broken circuit, browbeat, brush, bulldoze, bully, bump, bunk, burglarize, burgle, burn, burn off, burst forth, burst in, bust, buzz about, caesura, call a break, call time, can, cant, cant round, canyon, case harden, cashier, cast, cast about, castrate, casualness, cave, cave in, cavity, cease, cease-fire, cessation, chafe, chance, change, change course, change of heart, change the heading, changeableness, chap, chasm, cheapen, cheapening, check, checker, chimney, chink, chip, chop, chop and change, cigarette break, cipher, circuit, circuital field, circulate, clamp down on, clash, claw, cleavage, cleave, cleft, cleuch, closed circuit, clough, cocktail hour, coerce, coffee break, col, collide, comb, come about, come apart, come around, come forth, come off, come out, come round, come unstuck, commence, comminute, communicate, compel, complete circuit, concussion, condition, confirm, conflict, confound, confute, conk out, conquer, constructive change, continuity, contradict, contravene, controvert, conversion, convey, coulee, couloir, counter, cow, crackle, cranny, craze, crevasse, crevice, cripple, crumble, crumple, cryptanalyze, cultivate, cure, curry, currycomb, cut, cut apart, cut off, cut prices, cwm, dash, daunt, dawn, day off, dead circuit, debilitate, decamp, decipher, declare a recess, decline, declining market, decompose, deconsecrate, decrypt, defalcation, defeat, defect, defection, deficiency, deficit, defile, deflate, deflation, defrock, defy, degenerate, degeneration, degenerative change, degrade, deliverance, delivery, dell, dement, demerit, demoralize, demote, depart, depart from, deplume, depose, depreciate, depreciation, deprive, despotize, destiny, destroy, detach, deteriorate, deterioration, dethrone, devaluate, devaluation, develop, deviate, deviation, differ, difference, dike, disaccord, disaccustom, disaffection, disagree, disarrange, disavow, disband, disbar, discipline, disclose, disconfirm, discontinuation, discontinue, discontinuity, discourage, discrown, disemploy, disengage, disenthrone, disfavor, disgrade, disjoin, dismiss, disperse, displace, displume, disregard, disrupt, disruption, dissent, dissolve, disturb, disunion, disunity, ditch, dive, diverge, divergence, diversification, diversify, diversion, diversity, divide, dividedness, division, divulge, do violence to, domesticate, domesticize, domineer, domineer over, donga, double a point, downgrade, downtime, draw, drench, drill, droop, drop, drum out, ease up, ebb and flow, educate, emerge, emergence, end, enforced respite, enslave, erupt, escape, escapism, establish, estrangement, evasion, evert, excavation, excommunicate, exercise, exfoliate, exhaust, expel, explode, extrication, fade, fail, faint, fall, fall in price, fall out, fall to pieces, falling-out, familiarize, fate, fault, faux, feed, fell, fetch about, fetch up, find vent, fire, fissure, fit, fitting, fix, fizzle out, flag, flash burn, flatten, flaw, flee, flight, flip-flop, flop, flout, fluke, flukiness, flume, fly, fly about, fodder, foil, fold, fold up, form, fortuitousness, fortuity, fortune, foster, found, fragment, fray, frazzle, freeing, fret, frustrate, furlough, furrow, gaffe, gall, galvanic circuit, gamble, gape, gash, gentle, get about, get abroad, get afloat, get around, get exposure, get through, getaway, give away, give out, give the ax, give the gate, give up, give way, go, go about, go bankrupt, go broke, go downhill, go forth, go into receivership, go soft, go the rounds, go to pieces, go to pot, go to ruin, go under, go up, good fortune, good luck, gorge, gradual change, grind, grind down, groom, groove, grow bright, grow light, gulch, gulf, gully, gybe, habituate, half time, half-time intermission, halt, handle, hap, happenstance, happy chance, happy hour, harden, harness, haul around, have currency, heave, heave round, heedless hap, henpeck, hesitation, hiatus, hit the skids, hitch, hole, holiday, hot circuit, house-train, housebreak, how they fall, humble, humiliate, hurt, ignore, impart, impoverish, impropriety, improve, improvement, inaugurate, incise, incision, indecorum, indeterminacy, indeterminateness, infract, initiate, injure, injury, innovate, interfere, interim, interject, interlude, intermezzo, intermission, intermit, intermittence, interpose, interregnum, interrupt, interruption, interval, intervene, intimidate, intrude, inure, irregularity, issuance, issue, jailbreak, jangle, jar, jew down, jibe, jibe all standing, joint, jostle, keep down, keep under, kick, kick upstairs, kloof, knock off, lacerate, laceration, lack, lacuna, languish, lapse, lateral circuit, law of averages, lay off, layoff, leak, leakage, leave, leg, lesion, let go, let out, letup, liberation, lick into shape, lift, light, lighten, liquidate, litter, live circuit, look-in, loop, lord it over, lot, lower, lowering, luck, lucky break, lucky strike, lull, magnetic circuit, maim, make mincemeat of, make public, make redundant, manage, mark down, markdown, master, maul, meliorate, melioration, microcircuit, milk, mismatch, mismate, miss stays, missing link, mitigate, mitigation, moat, modification, modulate, modulation, moira, mortal wound, multiple circuit, multiple series, mutate, mutilate, mutilation, naturalize, need, negate, nose dive, nose-dive, notch, nullah, nurse, nurture, object, occasion, occur, off market, off-time, offend, omission, open, open rupture, opportunity, oppress, orient, orientate, oust, out, outage, outlet, overawe, overbear, overcome, overmaster, override, overthrow, overwhelm, pare, parenthesis, pass, pass on, passage, path, pauper, pauperize, pause, peak, peg out, penetrate, pension, pension off, peter out, pierce, pine, plateau, plummet, plummeting, plunge, ply, point of repose, poop out, popple, practice, prepare, press heavy on, price cut, price fall, price reduction, principle of indeterminacy, printed circuit, prisonbreak, probability, problematicness, prostrate, puncture, purge, put about, put back, put down, put in tune, put to school, puzzle out, qualification, quell, quiet spell, radical change, raise, random sample, ravine, re-creation, read out of, ready, realignment, rear, rebut, recall of ambassadors, recess, redesign, reduce, reduction, reform, reformation, refute, rehearse, relax, release, relief, remaking, remission, remove, remove from office, rend, renewal, renounce, rent, replace, repress, repudiate, rescue, reshaping, resolve, respite, rest, resting point, restructuring, retire, retreating market, reveal, reversal, revival, revive, revivification, revolution, riddance, ride down, ride over, ride roughshod over, rift, rime, rip, rise, rise and fall, risk, rive, rob, roll, round a point, rub down, ruin, run, run of luck, sack, saddle, sag, sagging market, savage, scald, scale, scape, scatter, scend, schism, scissure, scorch, scotch, scrape, scratch, scuff, scuttle, seam, season, second-degree burn, see the light, send, send to school, separate forcibly, separation, serendipity, series multiple, set at defiance, set at naught, set naught by, set up, setting-free, sever, shard, shave, sheer, shift, shiver, short, short circuit, shortage, shot, show, shut down, sink, skin, slash, slew, slice, slit, slot, slump, snap, snap the thread, soft market, solecism, sore, spell, split, sprain, spread, spread about, spread like wildfire, spring a leak, squeak, stab, stab wound, stand-down, start, statistical probability, stay, stick, stop, stop for breath, strain, streak of luck, strip, strip of office, strip of rank, stroke of luck, subdue, subjugate, sudden change, superannuate, suppress, surcease, surge, surplus, suspend, suspension, swell, swerve, swing round, swing the stern, switch, tack, take a break, take a recess, take a rest, take a turn, take five, take in hand, take ten, take the plunge, take time out, tame, tea break, tear, tell, ten, tend, terrorize, the breaks, theory of probability, third-degree burn, throw about, time, time off, time out, toss, total change, train, trample down, trample on, trample underfoot, trample upon, transition, transmit, transpire, trauma, traumatize, tread down, tread underfoot, tread upon, trench, trespass, trim, truce, turn, turn aside, turn back, turn into, turn off, turn out, turn over, turn the corner, turnabout, tyrannize, tyrannize over, ullage, uncertainty, uncertainty principle, unchurch, undergo a change, undermine, undulate, unevenness, unfold, unfrock, unman, unravel, unriddle, unsaddle, unseat, unthrone, upheaval, vacation, valley, vanquish, variation, variety, vary, vector field, veer, vent, violent change, void, wadi, walk all over, walk over, want, wantage, warp, water, wave, weaken, wean, wear, wear away, wear out, wear ship, wear thin, weary, weigh heavy on, whatever comes, wilt, wind, wont, worsen, worsening, wound, wounds immedicable, wrench, yaw, yield, yoke

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