Results

Definition of break : 1. A device for checking motion, or for measuring friction. See Brake, n. 9 & 10.
2. A large four- wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash top, with the driver's seat in front and the footman's behind.
3. A projection or recess from the face of a building.
4. An interruption in continuity in writing or printing, as where there is an omission, an unfilled line, etc.
5. An interruption of continuity; change of direction; as, a break in a wall; a break in the deck of a ship.
6. An interruption; a pause; as, a break in friendship; a break in the conversation.
7. An opening made by fracture or disruption.
8. An opening or displacement in the circuit, interrupting the electrical current.
9. See Commutator.
10. The first appearing, as of light in the morning; the dawn; as, the break of day; the break of dawn.
11. To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief; as, my heart is breaking.
12. To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength.
13. To burst forth violently, as a storm.
14. To burst forth; to make its way; to come to view; to appear; to dawn.
15. To come apart or divide into two or more pieces, usually with suddenness and violence; to part; to burst asunder.
16. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British squares.
17. To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as, to break a set.
18. To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to ruin.
19. To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss.
20. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as, to break flax.
21. To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a fall or blow.
22. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill.
23. To fail in musical quality; as, a singer's voice breaks when it is strained beyond its compass and a tone or note is not completed, but degenerates into an unmusical sound instead. Also, to change in tone, as a boy's voice at puberty.
24. To fall in business; to become bankrupt.
25. To fall out; to terminate friendship.
26. To impart, as news or information; to broach; - with to, and often with a modified word implying some reserve; as, to break the news gently to the widow; to break a purpose cautiously to a friend.
27. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise.
28. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate; as, to break silence; to break one's sleep; to break one's journey.
29. To lay bare; to lay open to attack, danger, or anything objectionable; to render accessible to anything which may affect, especially detrimentally; to make liable; as, to expose one's self to the heat of the sun, or to cold, insult, danger, or ridicule; to expose an army to destruction or defeat.
30. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a package of goods.
31. To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate.
32. To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait; as, to break into a run or gallop.
33. To open spontaneously, or by pressure from within, as a bubble, a tumor, a seed vessel, a bag.
34. To open up; to be scattered; to be dissipated; as, the clouds are breaking.
35. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments.
36. To strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with violence; as, to break a rope or chain; to break a seal; to break an axle; to break rocks or coal; to break a lock.
37. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or saddle.
38. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind.

Synonyms:

introduce, get, betray, become flat, disclose, publish, wear out, uncover, extend, get about, flunk, do, emit, cushion, travel, deferral, strike, coverage, drop, distribute, suppress, ease up, lam, go bad, pauperize, moderate, activity holiday, disillusion, transmutation, afford, check off, sin, bear, open, finish, find out, buffer, burnout, improve, knap, slip, bankrupt, arrest, chime in, check up on, observe, barge in, de-escalate, stifle, fall upon, fall in, step down, come across, hols, perish, put on, chip, CAPTCHA, disturbance, present, lay off, offend, deflower, fag out, block, gaolbreak, boom, rise, rape, flight, footprint, correspond, wind down, blend, break apart, run short, pregame, master, disrupt, evolve, transformation, clay, give someone to understand (that), twang, curb, crumple, move, kerfuffle, crush, dissipate, intermit, opportunity, adventure travel, severing, cracking, distinguish, discriminate, set forth, hand, double-jointed, get down, widen, scatter, debunk, overstep, pall, start out, fight off, assemble, key out, peter out, assume, let out, snap off, cooling-off period, bursting, pay, turn over, fluke, match, puzzle out, soften, sort out, overtime, enter, defect, arise, proceed, circulate, hand out, hole, eruption, contravene, blight, generate, percolate, brief, divulge, interfere with, flip off, half, close in, branch, transpire, explode, lapse, bruise, halftime, ignite, survive, deactivate, comp time, crest, suspension system, endanger, conflagrate, break open, give, educate, get going, secede, kill off, ball boy, pique, assort, nurse, damp, dishonor, print, notice, get out, contain, dishonour, nail, carry, dash someone's hopes, overwhelm, clip, infract, grass, disruption, utter, grow, alley, flare up, mistake, key, pop off, fall, bristle, raid, voice, carve up, give off, deepen, violate, split up, go back on, strengthen, blow up, leave off, join, attain, drop dead, dispel, ball girl, set off, clear, knock, chance on, altercation, flare, hoo-hah, break out, falling out, pick up, crack up, back out, cast up, mark off, miscarry, blend in, relegate, lull, display, discover, take fire, put out, wobble, recession, action replay, draw in, switching, pass on, hightail it, collapse, return, extra time, moisten, stop over, buck, hold up, see, pick, hurly burly, shit, snap, transmit, respond, gift, undermine, differentiate, pass, prison-breaking, watch, penetrate, bump, code name, irrupt, outrage, advise, shift key, go out, mince, out, extravasate, tally, get together, downgrade, inlet, give-up the ghost, break off, discipline, cryptography, run away, breathing space, ameliorate, peril, buy the farm, smash, wear down, name, scupper, chisel in, explicate, analyse, go wrong, inflection, suss out, crock up, go, first half, schism, subvert, run out, cut in, col, despoil, adjourn, void, perturbation, make, reveal, round off, emerge, cipher, rat, mute, conk out, duty period, advantage, window of opportunity, apply, lead, amend, scarper, bar, choice, last, control, switch, fall out, conk, fused, see to it, relay, catch, produce, take out, break of serve, cut out, learn, banish, darken, locomote, run low, lose heart, break in, run, hold back, get a line, fail, stamp out, rive, break away, have on, interim, work shift, die, lose/give up hope, get wind, rest, operate, jade, combust, camp, breaking, burn, jailbreak, severalize, wear, exit, shift, describe, break up, plump, occasion, fall apart, absenteeism, finish with, run-in, spread, snitch, scandalise, relent, imperative, swing, decipher, splash, come apart, function, go away, discourage, snuff it, demote, hear, develop, dislodge, elbow room, coded, find, wear thin, expire, unveil, blast, undo, disjunction, depart, disturb, hanging, die out, distance, single out, pitch, sunset, bunk, help, get by, sink, flick, sacrifice, chip off, assure, exhibit, rout, yield, furlough, cannibalize, ascertain, breakout, block off, ravish, tell on, opening, clear up, let loose, faulting, impoverish, desecrate, contribute, luckiness, filler, pull, blemish, deaden, modulate, encounter, room, prisonbreak, check into, flutter, harm, content, time out, break point, checker, get word, go to press, teddy, get into, possibilities, dump, hoo-ha, germinate, convey, costal, compound fracture, kibosh, blow itself out, tear, commentary, disjoint, half-day, immobilize, tell, comfort, appall, temporary removal, tick off, channel, report, weary, cut off, look into, erupt, point out, endure, go under, chance upon, coffee break, recover, poop out, repair, head for the hills, insure, welsh on, flaw, health, wind up, cloud, demerit, down time, spite, shifting, dash, the initiative, consecrate, retreat, infringe, shake, come in, educational leave, tire out, access, hold, expose, mending, spring up, go over, kill, discontinuity, call a halt (to something), deliver, activity vacation, work, accident, serialize, broken, squeeze out, cadence, parting, destroy, muffle, course, severalise, flash, transgress, break-dance, break short, commit, error, detect, quarter, analyze, reduce, cave in, sound, establish, brighten up, corner, happen, proscribe, come off, secernate, show, gibe, cash in one's chips, decrypt, quaver, appal, live on, rifle, bring on, dawn, tell apart, excursion, become, check over, hurt, expanse, code, chemise, scat, tap out, belong, strain, grant, secern, dedicate, dull, abound, get around, meliorate, jibe, flop, let on, pull out, say/wave/kiss goodbye to something, succumb, bomb, breakage, expression, burst, pass out, communicate, happen upon, abeyance, injure, throw/pour cold water on something, fit, neglect, take to the woods, flout, commotion, come out, demoralize, demolish, go to pieces, kick in, render, twilight, good fortune, scope, fatigue, sunrise, hold out, severance, revive, clearance, check out, come upon, appear, defy, disable, duck out of, backpedal, light upon, make grow, escape, put in, check, lift, recrudesce, fickle, barricade, shock, harden, degrade, shiver, short-circuit, despair, kick, flush it, episode, tumble, blister, feed, tone down, decease, the Davis Cup, croak, stag, knowledge, respite, condition, tremor, catch fire, splinter, devote, hesitate, explosion, wear upon, break through, chance, start, highlights, chequer, leak, blockade, fragmentize, ace, ease, ramify, quietude, go against, run down, honeymoon, sort, displacement, impart, choke, career gapper, reach, cut short, disobey, mark, breather, to-do, smash up, defriend, shut off, thunder, pass away, break down, rest period, interstice, luck, draw, chip in, trespass, fall flat, holiday, arthritic, scandalize, fly the coop, renege, belch, tone, dangling, give up, blow over, relaxation, tick, bring something to an end/a close/a halt, block up, conclude, dissever, give away, live, butt in, kick the bucket, fold, submit, getaway, pull through, disagreement, failure, kick downstairs, air pocket, lumbar, plunder, resist, unwrap, alphanumeric, headroom, fall through, agree, turn tail, difference, niche, let someone know, pelvic, leave, good luck, modernise, pierce, bust, weaken, throw, dispute, dislocation, cashier, hold in, money, founder, shop, modernize, dampen, fragmentise, cryptogram, formulate, hold on, infinity, issue, abatement, counteract, heal, wash, fork, shot, give way, identify, lose it, push through, clean out, class, jointed, geological fault, get across, ensure, have, give up on, gentle, uprise, cut into, ruin, bring out, bang up, acquire, intermission, calve, go around, wound, turn back, shimmy, disappoint, draw out, challenge, puncture, leak out, profane, assault, retard, cry off, take off, prepare, outwear, cast a shadow over something, let down, fault, get off, set out, breath, classify, perforate, sabotage, wear off, the credits, open frame, happy chance, countermine, originate, injury time, build up, compassionate leave, don, sack, resolve, continue, get away, wild, move over, burst out, denounce, intercept, furcate, night falls, tire, determine, better, bypass, crash, give out, take apart

disassembly, dissection, disunity, bisection, disengagement, separation, fissure, cleavage, amputation, dissociation, segregation, detachment, disassociation, alienation, disarticulation, incision, division, rent, disintegration, disconnection

discontinue, close, quit, pause, culminate, cease, remit, interrupt, stay, stop, suspend, terminate, desist, halt, end, abandon, refrain

groom, domesticate, train, hostle, tame, housebreak, farm, ranch, herd, breed, wrangle

interval, notch, abyss, chasm, gap, breach, gulf, crevice, cleft, rift, crack, slit, space, ravine

loosen, diverge, release, unbind, unfasten, disperse

recess, postpone, relieve, reprieve, snag, delay

crumble, spoil, degenerate, putrefy, dissolve, fracture, turn, rot, mortify, shatter, anatomize, decay, decompose

relief, interruption, stoppage, suspension, interlude, postponement, hitch, hiatus

disengage, uncouple, alienate, disassociate, sever, divorce, halve, dismantle, rupture, disunite, segregate, disconnect, excise, disjoin, cleave, insulate, fragment, partition, rend, separate, part, dissociate, split, detach, divide, sunder

disassemble, incise, axe, scissor, slice, pare, disarticulate, estrange, unglue, bisect, disintegrate, remove, unfix, disaffiliate, rip, unhinge, cut, amputate, dissect

Usage examples:

• Myeerah has a heart to break. - "Betty Zane", Zane Grey.
• It would break my heart if anything happened to it now!" - "A Thief in the Night", E. W. Hornung.
• I said, more to break the silence than for any other reason. - "Ayesha The Further History of She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed", H. Rider Haggard.