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An act or state of crumbling or shattering
“In one case, the osmotic power of the charismatic figure cannot outlast the breaking of the fragile web of rural intersubjectivity by a brutal modernization.”
Breaking open, or about to break open
Falling apart or broken down
An act or state of detaching or separating
“A breaking from the past in order to gain momentum was presented.”
An act or state of violating or contravening a rule or law
“The interdisciplinary field of criminology studies the making of laws, the breaking of laws, and the formulation of responses to the breaking of laws.”
The broadcasting or spreading of information
The act of breaking
A branching-out, or the act or result of developing branches
The crashing of waves
An urban style of acrobatic street dance that originated in the hip hop culture of New York City in the late 20th century
A disruption or disturbance, or the act of causing one
The act of something breaking into pieces
A sudden and widespread occurrence or manifestation of something
The act or instance of defeating
To be irritating or upsetting, typically with repeated or unpleasant acts
(somewhat rare) Bringing harm or injury to
“I would break my juicer by overfilling it.”
Present participle for to separate into pieces as a result of a collision, blow, shock, or strain
“The piñata would eventually break after being struck repeatedly by enthusiastic kids.”
(of a rule, law or agreement) Present participle for to fail to keep or abide by
“He chose to break his contract with the club after a significantly more lucrative offer was presented to him.”
Present participle for to stop proceedings, typically in relation to arduous activity
“Let's break for a few minutes before we drive ourselves crazy from all this work.”
Present participle for to stop or interrupt an action, process or operation
“We can break the cycle of poverty by providing work and employment opportunities.”
Present participle for to tell or reveal news or information
“I couldn't wait to break the good news to him that he had aced his exam.”
Present participle for to be revealed
“If there is any truth to any of this, the news will break in due course.”
Present participle for to exceed or cross a given limit
“He was determined to break the world record to make a name for himself.”
Present participle for to become inoperative
“We have backups on standby should the machines currently in operation break.”
Present participle for to cushion something's effect
“His reflexes kicked in, and he threw out his arms, managing to break her fall.”
Present participle for to happen, occur or come into existence
“We had no inkling that the horsemeat scandal would break in the middle of the filming of our documentary.”
Present participle for to retreat from something frightening or dangerous
“The crowd in Pamplona would immediately break once the bulls were set loose.”
Present participle for to sustain an injury involving the fracture of a bone or bones in a part of the body
“He was relieved after scans confirmed that the accident did not break any of his bones.”
Present participle for to decipher or solve through reasoning, analysis or logic
“Rejewski used the theory of permutations to break the message keys of the plugboard Enigma machine.”
(of a habit) Present participle for to quit or give up
“He resolved to break his habit of constantly being overly critical of himself.”
Present participle for to be overcome by a given feeling or emotion
“Homer's self-control would finally break as he greedily gobbled down the blueberry pie.”
Present participle for to cause to become tired, weary or fatigued
“The grueling workout would eventually break me, and I had to quit from exhaustion.”
(of one's voice) Present participle for to speak haltingly
“Her voice would break as she recounted the harrowing ordeal.”
(of waves) Present participle for to crash against a barrier or surface
“We stood near the beach by the fire, listening to the waves break on the shingle.”
Present participle for to move in a (usually sharp) turn
“James would dribble to his left, then break to his right to shake off his opponent.”
(of the weather) Present participle for to undergo a change
“The weather would break, temperatures would rise, and it would be briefly warm enough to smell the earth once again.”
Present participle for to break through a surface
“Press down onto each potato to break the skin and flesh a little, allowing the oil to penetrate.”
Present participle for to penetrate the surface from below
“Dolphins would break all around our boat.”
Present participle for to destroy, weaken or work against
“Government indifference failed to break the movement but, in fact, radicalized it.”
Present participle for to fail in business or to become bankrupt
“The hemorrhaging cash flow would eventually break him.”
Present participle for to reduce the value or price of
“Adam Osborne decided that he wanted to break the price of computers by creating his own.”
(of a piece of land) Present participle for to cut into and turn over the sod of
“Farmers of old would break fields with horse-drawn plows.”
Related Words and Phrases
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