breadwinner
breadwinner

break


Definition: Meaning of, break in English to English dictionary.

Pronunciation: / breɪk /

  • verb
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Word Forms:
Prsesent Past Past Participle
break broke broken
Present Participle Third Person Singular
breaking breaks
  1. separate into pieces [transitive] if you break something, you make it separate into two or more pieces, for example by hitting it, dropping it, or bending it
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  2. separate into pieces [intransitive] if something breaks, it separates into two or more pieces
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  3. bones [transitive] to damage a bone in your body by making it crack or split
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  4. machines [transitive] to damage a machine so that it does not work properly
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  5. machines [intransitive] if a machine breaks, it stops working properly
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  6. rules/laws [transitive] to disobey a rule or law
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  7. promise/agreement [transitive] to not do something that you have promised to do or signed an agreement to do
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  8. stop/rest [intransitive] to stop for a short time in order to have a rest or eat something
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  9. end something [transitive] to stop something from continuing
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  10. defeat somebody [transitive] to make someone feel that they have been completely defeated and they cannot continue working or living
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  11. destroy an organization [transitive] to damage an organization so badly that it no longer has any power
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  12. day/dawn [intransitive] when the day or the DAWN breaks, the sky gets light
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  13. storm [intransitive] if a storm breaks, it begins
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  14. weather [intransitive] if the weather breaks, it suddenly changes and becomes cold or wet
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  15. waves [intransitive] when waves break, they fall onto the land at the edge of the water
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  16. somebody's voice [intransitive] when a boy's voice breaks, it becomes lower and starts to sound like a man's voice
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  17. somebody's voice [intransitive] if your voice breaks, it does not sound smooth because you are feeling strong emotions
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  18. news [intransitive] if news about an important event breaks, it becomes known
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  19. news [transitive] if you break unpleasant news to someone, you tell it to them
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  20. break a habit to stop doing something that you do regularly, especially something that you should not do
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  21. break a record to do something even faster or even better than the previous best time, amount etc
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  22. break a journey British English to stop somewhere for a short time during a long journey
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  23. break somebody's heart to make someone very unhappy by ending a relationship with them or doing something that upsets them a lot
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  24. break a strike to force workers to end a STRIKE
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  25. break a link/tie/connection to end a relationship with a person or organization
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  26. break the skin to cut the skin on your body
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  27. break the back of something to finish the main or worst part of something
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  28. break the bank to cost a lot of money, or more money than you have
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  29. break somebody's concentration to interrupt someone and stop them from being able to continue thinking or talking about something
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  30. break the silence to end a period of silence by talking or making a noise
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  31. break somebody's spirit to destroy someone's feeling of determination
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  32. break somebody's power to take away someone's position of power or control
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  33. break the ice informal to make people feel more friendly and willing to talk to each other
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  34. break a code to succeed in understanding something that is written in a secret way
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  35. break wind to allow gas to escape from your bottom, making a noise and an unpleasant smell
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  36. break (somebody's) serve to win a game in tennis when your opponent is starting the game by hitting the ball first
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synonym
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  • noun
  • synonym
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Word Forms:
Singular Plural
break breaks
  1. stop working [countable] a period of time when you stop working in order to rest, eat etc
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  2. stop doing something [countable] a period of time when you stop doing something before you start again
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  3. holiday [countable] a short holiday
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  4. at school [uncountable] the time during the school day when classes stop and teachers and students can rest, eat, play etc
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  5. on tv [countable] a pause for advertisements during a television or radio programme
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  6. something stops happening [countable] a period of time when something stops happening before it starts again
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  7. end a relationship [singular] a time when you leave a person or group, or end a relationship with someone
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  8. space/hole [countable] a space or hole in something
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  9. chance [countable] informal a sudden or unexpected chance to do something that allows you to become successful in your job
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  10. bones [countable] the place where a bone in your body has broken
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  11. tennis [countable] a situation in a game of tennis in which you win a game when your opponent is starting the game by hitting the ball first
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  12. snooker [countable] the number of points that a player wins when it is their turn to hit the ball in a game such as SNOOKER
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  13. break with tradition/the past a time when people stop following old customs and do something in a completely different way
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  14. make a break for something to suddenly start running towards something in order to escape from a place
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  15. give me/it a break! spoken used when you want someone to stop doing or saying something that is annoying you
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  16. give somebody a break spoken to stop being strict with someone so that a situation becomes easier for them
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  17. the break of day literary the time early in the morning when it starts getting light
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break used in phrases

  • All-Star break
    1. in baseball, a period in the middle of the SEASON (= the period in the year when baseball is played) when All-Star games are played
  • break apart (verb)
    1. take apart into its constituent pieces
    2. break violently or noisily; smash;
  • break bread (verb)
    1. have a meal, usually with company
  • break camp (verb)
    1. leave a camp
  • break dance (noun)
    1. a form of solo dancing that involves rapid acrobatic moves in which different parts of the body touch the ground; normally performed to the rhythm of rap music
  • break dancing (noun)
    1. a form of solo dancing that involves rapid acrobatic moves in which different parts of the body touch the ground; normally performed to the rhythm of rap music
  • break even (verb)
    1. make neither profit nor loss
    2. attain a level at which there is neither gain nor loss, as in business, gambling, or a competitive sport
  • break loose (verb)
    1. be unleashed; emerge with violence or noise
    2. run away from confinement
  • break of day (noun)
    1. the first light of day
  • break of serve (noun)
    1. tennis a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving
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break used in phrasal verbs

  • break away (phrasal verb)
    1. to escape from a person, place, or situation
    2. to leave a political party or other group, especially in order to start another one
  • break down (phrasal verb)
    1. [intransitive] if a machine or vehicle breaks down, it stops working
    2. [transitive] to divide something such as a total amount into separate parts
  • break for (phrasal verb)
    1. break for something to go somewhere quickly, especially in order to escape
  • break in (phrasal verb)
    1. [intransitive] to enter a building by force, especially in order to steal things
    2. [intransitive] to interrupt when someone is talking
  • break into (phrasal verb)
    1. break into something to start doing something
    2. break into something to start to have success in your career or an area of activity
  • break off (phrasal verb)
    1. [intransitive/transitive] to stop doing something, especially speaking
    2. [transitive] to end a relationship or a discussion
  • break out (phrasal verb)
    1. if something bad such as a war or disease breaks out, it starts
    2. to escape from a prison
  • break through (phrasal verb)
    1. break through something to force your way through something that is stopping you from moving forward
    2. to successfully deal with something that is stopping you making progress
  • break up (phrasal verb)
    1. [transitive] to break something to make smaller pieces
    2. [intransitive] if something breaks up, it breaks into smaller pieces
  • break with (phrasal verb)
    1. break with someone/something to leave a group of people, usually because of a disagreement
    2. break with something if someone breaks with the past or with tradition, they start doing things in a completely new way
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most searched words

word of the day

Arbutus unedo
Pronunciation:
Parts of Speech: noun
small evergreen European shrubby tree bearing many-seeded scarlet berries that are edible but bland; of Ireland, southern Europe, Asia Minor
break apart