nounπShareAn instance of breaking something into two or more pieces."The femur has a clean break and so should heal easily."actioneventessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA physical space that opens up in something or between two things."He waited minutes for a break in the traffic to cross the highway."gapspacepartessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA rest or pause, usually from work."Letβs take a five-minute break."timeworkessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA time for students to talk or play."During the morning break, the students chatted excitedly about their weekend plans. "timeeducationessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA short holiday."a weekend break on the Isle of Wight"holidaytimeessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA temporary split with a romantic partner."I think we need a break."familyhumanmindemotionsocietyessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareAn interval or intermission between two parts of a performance, for example a theatre show, broadcast, or sports game."The play had a 15-minute break between acts. "entertainmenttimestageessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA significant change in circumstance, attitude, perception, or focus of attention."big break"attitudeconditionsituationessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareThe beginning (of the morning)."at the break of day"timeperiodessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareAn act of escaping."It was a clean break."actioneventessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareThe separation between lines, paragraphs or pages of a written text."The poem had wide breaks between stanzas, allowing the reader to pause and reflect. "writinglanguagegrammaressentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA keystroke or other signal that causes a program to terminate or suspend execution."The break key on the computer caused the presentation program to stop. "computingtechnologysignalessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA point or condition in a program at which operation may be suspended during debugging so that the state of the program at that point can be investigated. A breakpoint."The programmer set a breakpoint in the code to check for errors in the program. "computingtechnologytechnicalconditionprocessessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA change, particularly the end of a spell of persistent good or bad weather."The long period of rainy weather finally broke, and the sun came out. "weatheressentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShare:"The break between classes allowed students to get a drink of water. "timegapperiodessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash top, with the driver's seat in front and the footman's behind."The wealthy family owned a beautiful break, which they used for outings to the park. "vehiclearchitectureessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShare(equitation) A sharp bit or snaffle."The horse trainer used a special break to encourage the young horse to respond better to the reins. "animalutensilsportvehicleessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA short section of music, often between verses, in which some performers stop while others continue."The fiddle break was amazing; it was a pity the singer came back in on the wrong note."musicentertainmentessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareThe point in the musical scale at which a woodwind instrument is designed to overblow, that is, to move from its lower to its upper register."Crossing the break smoothly is one of the first lessons the young clarinettist needs to master."musictechnicalessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareUsu. plural An area along a river that features steep banks, bluffs, or gorges (e.g., Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, US)."The hikers explored the rugged river breaks, carefully navigating the steep slopes. "geographyenvironmentnatureplaceareaessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly."If the vase falls to the floor, it might break."actionphysicsessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo divide (something, often money) into smaller units."Can you break a hundred-dollar bill for me?"businessfinanceessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo cause (a person or animal) to lose spirit or will; to crush the spirits of."The constant criticism from her classmates broke her spirit, making her lose interest in school. "mindcharacterpersonattitudeemotionessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief."My heart is breaking."emotionsufferingmindessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate."The loud noise from the construction site broke the peaceful morning. "actionprocessessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo ruin financially."The recession broke some small businesses."businessfinanceessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo violate, to not adhere to."He broke his vows by cheating on his wife."lawmoralactionessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShare(of a fever) To pass the most dangerous part of the illness; to go down, in terms of temperature."My daughter's fever broke last night, so she felt much better this morning. "medicinediseasephysiologybodyessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShare(of a spell of settled weather) To end."The forecast says the hot weather will break by midweek."weathertimeessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShare(of a storm) To begin; to end."Around midday the storm broke, and the afternoon was calm and sunny."weathertimeessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShare(of morning, dawn, day etc.) To arrive."Morning has broken."timenatureessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo render (a game) unchallenging by altering its rules or exploiting loopholes or weaknesses in them in a way that gives a player an unfair advantage."Changing the rules to let white have three extra queens would break chess."gamecomputingtechnologyinternetessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo stop, or to cause to stop, functioning properly or altogether."Did you two break the trolley by racing with it?"functionmachinetechnologyessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo cause (a barrier) to no longer bar."break a seal"actionphysicsessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce."The cavalry were not able to break the British squares."actionstructureconditionessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShare(of a wave of water) To collapse into surf, after arriving in shallow water."The waves broke with a roar as they hit the shallows. "natureoceangeographynauticalweatheressentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo burst forth; to make its way; to come into view."The sun broke through the clouds, lighting up the schoolyard. "actionappearancenatureessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo interrupt or cease one's work or occupation temporarily."The students were asked to break from their math lesson to eat lunch. "workjobactionessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo interrupt (a fall) by inserting something so that the falling object does not (immediately) hit something else beneath."He survived the jump out the window because the bushes below broke his fall."actionphysicsessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo disclose or make known an item of news, etc."The teacher broke the news that the school picnic was canceled. "mediacommunicationessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShare(of a sound) To become audible suddenly."The quiet classroom suddenly broke into a loud cheer when the teacher announced the surprise party. "soundlanguagecommunicationessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo change a steady state abruptly."His coughing broke the silence."actionprocessessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo suddenly become."The arrest was standard, when suddenly the suspect broke ugly."actionprocessessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareOf a male voice, to become deeper at puberty."My brother's voice broke during puberty. "physiologyagebodysexessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareOf a voice, to alter in type due to emotion or strain: in men generally to go up, in women sometimes to go down; to crack."His voice breaks when he gets emotional."soundphysiologyemotionlinguisticsessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo surpass or do better than (a specific number), to do better than (a record), setting a new record."The runner broke the school record in the 100-meter dash. "achievementsportnumberessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
πShare:"The teacher will break the lesson into smaller parts to make it easier to understand. "actionconditionessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShare(most often in the passive tense) To demote, to reduce the military rank of."The soldier was broken in rank for disobeying orders. "militarygovernmentessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo end (a connection), to disconnect."My sister and I broke our friendship after a big argument. "actiontechnicaldevicemachineessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShare(of an emulsion) To demulsify."The oil and water mixture in the science experiment broke, separating into distinct layers. "chemistrysciencetechnicalprocessessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo counter-attack"The soccer team decided to break the opponent's attack by quickly passing the ball to their star player. "militarywaractionessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate."The teacher broke the news that the class would have a surprise party for the retiring principal. "communicationlanguageessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength."After a long illness, Sarah broke and needed several weeks to recover. "medicinephysiologybodyessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo fail in business; to become bankrupt."The small bakery had to break because it couldn't afford the rising costs of ingredients. "businessfinanceeconomyessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of."to break flax"actionconditionmaterialessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss."The school principal broke the student's suspension status. "governmentmilitaryjobessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait."to break into a run or gallop"actionwaysportessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo fall out; to terminate friendship."My best friend and I broke up after a big argument. "familyhumanpersonessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo terminate the execution of a program before normal completion."The computer program crashed and broke mid-calculation. "computingtechnologyelectronicsessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo suspend the execution of a program during debugging so that the state of the program can be investigated."The programmer broke the program to examine why the calculation was wrong. "computingtechnologyessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA section of extended repetition of the percussion break to a song, created by a hip-hop DJ as rhythmic dance music."The DJ dropped a powerful break during the school dance, getting everyone on the floor. "musicdanceentertainmentessentialChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading