break
- fissure, opening n.
- interruption of activity n.
- change from friendly to unfriendly relationship n.
- lucky happening n.
- destroy; make whole into pieces v.
- violate law v.
- weaken, cause instability v.
- stop an action v.
- tell news v.
- better a performance v.
- emerge, happen v.
- run away v.
- weaken something's effect v.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I don’t know how to break the cycle of crises needing rescues that lead to more leverage and new crises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
After Ohtani received a lubricating Orthovisc injection in his knee at the beginning of the All-Star break, the Dodgers hoped he would pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 22.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Chelsea lost control towards the end of the first half and looked vulnerable, but they were much improved after the break.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Scientists have long known that dietary fiber contributes to these benefits because gut microbes help break it down.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
We took a lunch break, both of us diving into our dashboards to check on our stats and answer comments.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
It will be an extended international interval across the end of September and start of October to cut the number of breaks during the club season.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
There’s little evidence that higher-income households are encouraged by those tax breaks to save more for retirement than they would without them — “they simply steer savings to tax-favored accounts,” EPI says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
At which point all Midwestern hell breaks loose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
This breaks down everything you need to think about money to one question: “What is the money for?”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Water splashes up when the rock breaks the surface, and circular ripples spread out from the point where it entered the water.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Gaik Pobokhian, when she mistook the gas and brake pedals and hit the gas pedal “way too hard.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
A "Walter Mitty character" who falsely claimed his luxury electric Jaguar had malfunctioned on the motorway and could not brake, forcing police to bring it to an emergency stop, has been jailed.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Unlike some vehicles from competitors like Waymo or Tesla’s Robotaxi service, Zoox’s robotaxi doesn’t have a steering wheel or brake pedals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
This process acted as a natural brake on warming for millions of years and helped move Earth toward its present cooler climate.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
Red brake lights and white headlights filled every inch of the road below.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
As the procession began, Total Eclipse of the Heart could be heard playing on the busy street, as crying fans broke into applause.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The blaze broke out around midday on Friday in the Hautes Fagnes, a large wooded area close to Germany that is popular with hikers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
When a release lever on his sofa broke, Miller’s first instinct was to check Amazon.com for a spare part.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
In Hampshire, firefighters spent a sixth day tackling a wildfire in the New Forest, Hampshire, which broke out on Sunday.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
One of them broke from the others and started for us.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Families have reported food shortages, problems with drinking water, broken showers and laundry facilities and growing psychological strain among the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
In Paris, 175 world and 218 Paralympic records were broken across 22 sports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Arsenal also coveted the 17-year-old winger, but City won the battle for a player who joined Leicester aged eight and has already broken records in senior football.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Lawmakers and families are demanding answers on conditions aboard USS Abraham Lincoln after reports of food shortages and broken toilets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Now that the seal has been broken, Maggie’s words start to tumble out.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Military helicopters backed by tractors on the ground hauled water Sunday to help firefighters tame Belgium's largest modern-day wildfire, which mushroomed in size since breaking out two days earlier in a hard-to-access nature reserve.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
The 426-foot blast gave him 131 career home runs in Chavez Ravine — breaking a tie with Eric Karros for the most in Dodger Stadium history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The problems have been further complicated by equipment, including scanners and IT systems, breaking down.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Police are also investigating reports that a Montenegro-based British financier, who served eight months in a U.S. prison for fraud, made donations to Reform via his mother, potentially breaking disclosure rules.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
No one spoke for some time, until Karli piped up, breaking the silence between us.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Vocabulary lists containing break
The Smashing Lexicon of Tennis
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Spelling Practice, Unit 6
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