break
1. break \'bra-k\ \'bro-k\ \'bro--k*n\ vb or broke; or bro.ken or
break.ing [ME breken, fr. OE brecan; akin to OHG brehhan to break, L
Xfrangere 1a: to separate into parts with suddenness or violence 1b: MAIM,
MUTILATE 1c: RUPTURE 1d: to cut into and turn over the surface of : PLOW,
: VIOLAT E, TRANSGRESS 1b: to invalidate (a will) by action at law 3a: to
force entry into 3b: to burst and force a way through 3c: to escape by
force from 3d: to make or effect by cutting, forcing, or pressing through
3e: PENETRATE, PIERCE 4: to make ineffective as a binding force : SUNDER
5a: to disrupt the order or compactness of {~ ranks} 5b: to end, close, or
destroy by dispersing {~ up the gang} 6a: to defeat utterly and end as an
effective force {~ a rebellion } 6b: to crush the spirit of 6c: to make
tractable or submissive : as 6c1: to train (an animal) to adjust to the
service or convenience of man 6c2: INURE, ACCUSTOM 6d: to exhaust in
health, strength, or capacity 7a: to ruin financially 7b: to reduce in
rank 8a: to turn aside the force or intensity of 8b: to cause failure and
discontinuance of (a strike) by measures outside bargaining processes 9:
EXCEED, SURPASS {~ a speed record} 10: to ruin the prospects of 11: to
demonstrate the falsity of {~ an alibi} 12: to reduce the price of sharply
13a: to stop or bring to an end suddenly : HALT {~ a deadl ock} 13b:
INTERRUPT, SUSPEND 13c: to bring about suspension of operation {~ an
electric circuit } 13d: to destroy unity or completeness of 13e: to change
the appearance of uniformity of 13f: to split the surface of {fish ~ing
water} 13g: to cause to discontinue a habit 14: to make known 15a: to
find an explanation or solution for : SOLVE 15b: to discover the
essentials of (a code or cipher system) 16: to alter sharply the direction
or course of 17: to open the action of (a gun) 1a: to escape with sudden
forceful effort 1b: to develop or emerge with suddenness and force 1c: to
come into by or as if by bursting forth {day was ~ing } 1d: to act or
change with abruptness {~ing into laughter} 1e: to emerge from the surface
of the water 1f: to make a sudden dash 1g: to separate after a clinch in
boxing 2a: to come apart or split into pieces : BURST, SHATTER 2b: to
open spontaneously or by pressure from within of a wave 2c: to curl over
and fall apart in surf or foam 3: to become fair : CLEAR {when the weather
~s} 4: to give way in disorderly retreat 5a: to fail in health, strength,
vitality, or control {broke under questioning} 5b: to become crushed by
grief, disappointment, or anguish 5c: to become inoperative because of
damage, wear, or strain 6: to undergo a sudden marked decrease in price or
value 7: to end a relationship, connection, accord, or agreement 8a: to
swerve suddenly 8b: to curve, drop, or rise sharply 9a: to alter sharply
in tone, pitch, or intensity 9b: to shift abruptly from one register to
another 10: to fail to keep a prescribed gait 11: to interrupt one's
activity or occupation for a brief period 12: to make the opening shot of
a game of pool 13a: to divide into classes, categories, or types {our
cases ~ up into three types} 13b: to fold, bend, lift, or come apart at a
seam, groove, or joint of cream 13c: to separate during churning into
liquid and fat of an emulsion 13d: to separate permanently usu. into oily
and aqueous layers 14: HAPPEN, DEVELOP 1: to make a beginning 2: to get
through the first difficulties in starting a conversation or dis cussion :
to expel gas from the intestine - break the ice
2. break n 1a: an act or action of breaking 1b: the opening shot in a game
of pool or billiards 1c: the act of opening a gap in an electrical circuit
3: a condition produced by breaking 3b: a gap in an otherwise continuous
electric circuit 3: the act or action of breaking in, out, or forth 4:
DASH, RUSH {a base runner making a ~ for home}; Xesp : a quick offensive
thrust toward the basket in basketball 5a: the start of a race 5b: the act
of separating after a clinch in boxing 6: an interruption in continuity
{waiting for a ~ in the bad weathe r} : as 6a: a notable change of subject
matter, attitude, or treatment 6b1: an abrupt, significant, or noteworthy
change or interruption in a cont inuous process, trend, or surface 6b2: an
interruption from work or duty for rest or relaxation 6b3: a planned
interruption in a radio or television program {a ~ f or a commercial} pl
6c: a line of cliffs and associated spurs and small valleys at a mesa's edg
e or a river's head 6d: deviation of a pitched baseball from a straight
line 6e: DISLOCATION FAULT 6f: failure of a horse to maintain the
prescribed gait 6g: an abrupt change in the quality or pitch of a musical
tone 6h: a notable variation in pitch, intensity, or tone in the voice 7:
a rupture in previously friendly relations : disagreement causing sepa
ration 8: a sequence of successful shots in billiards : RUN 9: a place or
situation at which a break occurs : 9a: the point where one musical
register changes to another 9b: a short ornamental passage interpolated
between phrases in jazz 9c: the place at which a word is divided (as at
the end of a line) 9d: a pause or interruption (as a caesura or diaeresis)
within or at the en d of a verse 9e: a failure to make a strike or a spare
on a frame in bowling 10: a sudden and abrupt decline of prices or values
11: an awkward social blunder; specif : a gauche or imprudent comme nt
causing embarrassment 12: a stroke of good luck
Webster's English Dictionary