break
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To split something into pieces, like a fracture or a crack
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
braykIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbɹeɪk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
ergativetransitiveintransitive
To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.
transitiveintransitive
To crack or fracture (bone) under a physical strain.
transitive
To cause (a person or animal) to lose spirit or will; to crush the spirits of.
To turn an animal into a beast of burden.
intransitive
To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief.
intransitive
To interrupt or cease one's work or occupation temporarily; to go on break.
noun
An instance of breaking something into two or more pieces.
A physical space that opens up in something or between two things.
An interruption of continuity; departure from or rupture with.
A rest or pause, usually from work.
A scheduled interval of days or weeks between periods of school instruction; a holiday.
A short holiday.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (ergative, transitive, intransitive) To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.
Used this way, break is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- gap , more casual, better suited to speech than writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The act of breaking something.
A quarry worker who splits off blocks of stone.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Be unleashed.
The first light of day.
A score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving.
Interrupt before its natural or planned end.
Work very hard, like a slave.
Open with force.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The act of breaking away or withdrawing from.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Common Forms & Phrases
- break down , Stop working, or lose emotional control.
- break up , End a relationship, or separate into pieces.
- break into , Enter by force, or start suddenly.
- take a break , Pause an activity to rest.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.