· the act of breaking something; "the breakage was unavoidable"
Hypernym(s): change_of_integrity
· terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky streak"; "break the cycle of poverty"
Synonym(s): interrupt
· become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart"
Synonym(s): separate, split_up, fall_apart, come_apart
Hypernym(s): change_integrity
· render inoperable or ineffective; "You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!"
Hypernym(s): damage
· ruin completely; "He busted my radio!"
Synonym(s): bust
Antonym(s): repair
· destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments; "He broke the glass plate"; "She broke the match"
· 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"
Synonym(s): transgress, offend, infract, violate, go_against, breach
Hypernym(s): disrespect
Antonym(s): keep
· move away or escape suddenly; "The horses broke from the stable"; "Three inmates broke jail"; "Nobody can break out--this prison is high security"
Synonym(s): break_out, break_away
Hypernym(s): escape, get_away, break_loose
· scatter or part; "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"
Hypernym(s): disperse, dissipate, scatter, spread_out
· force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger"
Hypernym(s): express_emotion, express_feelings
· prevent completion; "stop the project"; "break off the negotiations"
Synonym(s): break_off, discontinue, stop
· 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?"
Synonym(s): break_in
Hypernym(s): trespass, intrude
· make submissive, obedient, or useful; "The horse was tough to break"; "I broke in the new intern"
Synonym(s): break_in
Hypernym(s): domesticate, domesticize, domesticise, reclaim, tame
· fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns; "This sentence violates the rules of syntax"
Synonym(s): violate, go_against
· surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break a record"
Synonym(s): better
Hypernym(s): surpass, outstrip, outmatch, outgo, exceed, outdo, surmount, outperform
· 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"; "The newspaper uncovered the President's illegal dealings"
Synonym(s): unwrap, disclose, let_on, bring_out, reveal, discover, expose, divulge, give_away, let_out, uncover
Hypernym(s): tell
· come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices broke in the air"
· 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"
Synonym(s): fail, go_bad, give_way, die, give_out, conk_out, go, break_down
Hypernym(s): change
· interrupt a continued activity; "She had broken with the traditional patterns"
Synonym(s): break_away
Hypernym(s): separate, part, split_up, split, break, break_up
· make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing; "The ranks broke"
Hypernym(s): flee, fly, take_flight
· curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The surf broke"
Hypernym(s): collapse, fall_in, cave_in, give, give_way, break, founder
· lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"
Synonym(s): dampen, damp, soften, weaken
· be broken in; "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress"
Hypernym(s): change
· come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"
Hypernym(s): end, stop, finish, terminate, cease
· vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat plain was broken by tall mesas"
Hypernym(s): change, alter, vary
· cause to give up a habit; "She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes"
· give up; "break cigarette smoking"
Hypernym(s): discontinue, stop, cease, give_up, quit, lay_off
· come forth or begin from a state of latency; "The first winter storm broke over New York"
Hypernym(s): come_forth, emerge
· happen or take place; "Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months"
Hypernym(s): happen, hap, go_on, pass_off, occur, pass, fall_out, come_about, take_place
· cause the failure or ruin of; "His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage"; "This play will either make or break the playwright"
Hypernym(s): ruin
Antonym(s): make
· invalidate by judicial action; "The will was broken"
Hypernym(s): invalidate, annul, quash, void, avoid, nullify
· 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"
Synonym(s): separate, part, split_up, split, break_up
· assign to a lower position; reduce in rank; "She was demoted because she always speaks up"; "He was broken down to Sergeant"
Synonym(s): demote, bump, relegate, kick_downstairs
Hypernym(s): delegate, designate, depute, assign
· reduce to bankruptcy; "My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets smashed him"
Synonym(s): bankrupt, ruin, smash
Hypernym(s): impoverish
· change directions suddenly
Hypernym(s): switch, shift, change
· emerge from the surface of a body of water; "The whales broke"
Hypernym(s): appear
· 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"
Synonym(s): collapse, fall_in, cave_in, give, give_way, founder
Hypernym(s): change
· do a break dance; "Kids were break-dancing at the street corner"
Synonym(s): break_dance, break-dance
Hypernym(s): dance, trip_the_light_fantastic, trip_the_light_fantastic_toe
· exchange for smaller units of money; "I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy"
Hypernym(s): change, exchange, commute, convert
· destroy the completeness of a set of related items; "The book dealer would not break the set"
Synonym(s): break_up
Hypernym(s): change, alter, modify
· make the opening shot that scatters the balls
Hypernym(s): shoot
· separate from a clinch, in boxing; "The referee broke the boxers"
Hypernym(s): separate, disunite, divide, part
· go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"
Synonym(s): wear, wear_out, bust, fall_apart
Hypernym(s): decay, crumble, dilapidate
· break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree"
Synonym(s): break_off, snap_off
Hypernym(s): detach
· become punctured or penetrated; "The skin broke"
· pierce or penetrate; "The blade broke her skin"
Hypernym(s): penetrate, perforate
· be released or become known; of news; "News of her death broke in the morning"
Synonym(s): get_out, get_around
· cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch"
Hypernym(s): interrupt, disrupt, break_up, cut_off
· interrupt the flow of current in; "break a circuit"
Hypernym(s): interrupt, disrupt, break_up, cut_off
· undergo breaking; "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages"
Hypernym(s): diphthongize, diphthongise
· find a flaw in; "break an alibi"; "break down a proof"
· find the solution or key to; "break the code"
Hypernym(s): solve, work_out, figure_out, puzzle_out, lick, work
· change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another; "Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children"
Hypernym(s): switch, shift, change
· happen; "Report the news as it develops"; "These political movements recrudesce from time to time"
Synonym(s): recrudesce, develop
Hypernym(s): happen, hap, go_on, pass_off, occur, pass, fall_out, come_about, take_place
· become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated"
Hypernym(s): change
· crack; of the male voice in puberty; "his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir"
Hypernym(s): change_state, turn
· fall sharply; "stock prices broke"
Hypernym(s): decrease, diminish, lessen, fall
· fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"
Synonym(s): fracture
· diminish or discontinue abruptly; "The patient's fever broke last night"
Hypernym(s): decrease, diminish, lessen, fall
· weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death"
Hypernym(s): weaken