Synonyms for break

Noun

1. interruption, break, happening, occurrence, natural event

usage: some abrupt occurrence that interrupts; "the telephone is an annoying interruption"; "there was a break in the action when a player was hurt"

2. break, good luck, happy chance, accident, fortuity, chance event

usage: an unexpected piece of good luck; "he finally got his big break"

3. fault, geological fault, shift, fracture, break, crack, cleft, crevice, fissure, scissure

usage: (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other; "they built it right over a geological fault"

4. rupture, breach, break, severance, rift, falling out, separation, breakup, detachment

usage: a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations"

5. respite, recess, break, time out, pause

usage: a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute break"; "he took time out to recuperate"

6. breakage, break, breaking, change of integrity

usage: the act of breaking something; "the breakage was unavoidable"

7. pause, intermission, break, interruption, suspension, time interval, interval

usage: a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

8. fracture, break, injury, hurt, harm, trauma

usage: breaking of hard tissue such as bone; "it was a nasty fracture"; "the break seems to have been caused by a fall"

9. break, separation, breakup, detachment

usage: the occurrence of breaking; "the break in the dam threatened the valley"

10. break, stroke, shot

usage: the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool

11. break, break of serve, score

usage: (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving; "he was up two breaks in the second set"

12. break, interruption, disruption, gap, delay, holdup

usage: an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity; "it was presented without commercial breaks"

13. break, dash, sprint

usage: a sudden dash; "he made a break for the open door"

14. open frame, break, score

usage: any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare; "the break in the eighth frame cost him the match"

15. break, breakout, jailbreak, gaolbreak, prisonbreak, prison-breaking, escape, flight

usage: an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned"

Verb

1. interrupt, break, end, terminate

usage: terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky streak"; "break the cycle of poverty"

2. break, separate, split up, fall apart, come apart, change integrity, break up#18

usage: become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart"

3. break, separate, divide

usage: destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments; "He broke the glass plate"; "She broke the match"

4. break, damage

usage: render inoperable or ineffective; "You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!"

5. break, bust, destroy, ruin, break up, break apart, break off, break up, break down

usage: ruin completely; "He busted my radio!"

6. transgress, offend, infract, violate, go against, breach, break, disrespect

usage: act in disregard of laws and rules; "offend all laws of humanity"; "violate the basic laws or human civilization"; "break a law"

7. break, break out, break away, escape, get away, break loose

usage: move away or escape suddenly; "The horses broke from the stable"; "Three inmates broke jail"; "Nobody can break out--this prison is high security"

8. break, disperse, dissipate, scatter, spread out

usage: scatter or part; "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"

9. break, burst, erupt, express emotion, express feelings

usage: force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger"

10. break, break off, discontinue, stop, end, terminate

usage: prevent completion; "stop the project"; "break off the negociations"

11. break in, break, trespass, intrude

usage: enter someone's property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act; "Someone broke in while I was on vacation"; "They broke into my car and stole my radio!"

12. break in, break, domesticate, domesticize, domesticise, reclaim, tame

usage: make submissive, obedient, or useful; "The horse was tough to break"; "I broke in the new intern"

13. violate, go against, break

usage: fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns; "This sentence violates the rules of syntax"

14. better, break, surpass, outstrip, outmatch, outgo, exceed, outdo, surmount, outperform

usage: surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break a record"

15. disclose, let on, bring out, reveal, discover, expose, divulge, impart, break, give away, let out, tell

usage: make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret; "The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold"; "The actress won't reveal how old she is"; "bring out the truth"; "he broke the news to her"

16. break, become, go, get

usage: come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices broke in the air"

17. fail, go bad, give way, die, give out, conk out, go, break, break down, change

usage: stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident"

18. break, break away, separate, part, split up, split, break, break up

usage: interrupt a continued activity; "She had broken with the traditional patterns"

19. break, flee, fly, take flight

usage: make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing; "The ranks broke"

20. break, collapse, fall in, cave in, give, give way, break, founder

usage: curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The surf broke"

21. dampen, damp, soften, weaken, break, deaden, blunt

usage: lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"

22. break, change

usage: be broken in; "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress"

23. break, end, stop, finish, terminate, cease

usage: come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"

24. break, change, alter, vary

usage: vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat plain was broken by tall mesas"

25. break

usage: cause to give up a habit; "She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes"

26. break, discontinue, stop, cease, give up, quit, lay off

usage: give up; "break cigarette smoking"

27. break, come forth, emerge

usage: come forth or begin from a state of latency; "The first winter storm broke over New York"

28. break, happen, hap, go on, pass off, occur, pass, fall out, come about, take place

usage: happen or take place; "Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months"

29. break, ruin

usage: cause the failure or ruin of; "His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage"; "This play will either make or break the playwright"

30. break, invalidate, annul, quash, void, avoid, nullify

usage: invalidate by judicial action; "The will was broken"

31. separate, part, split up, split, break, break up

usage: discontinue an association or relation; go different ways; "The business partners broke over a tax question"; "The couple separated after 25 years of marriage"; "My friend and I split up"

32. demote, bump, relegate, break, kick downstairs, delegate, designate, depute, assign

usage: assign to a lower position; reduce in rank; "She was demoted because she always speaks up"; "He was broken down to Sargeant"

33. bankrupt, ruin, break, smash, impoverish

usage: reduce to bankruptcy; "My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets smashed him"

34. break, switch, shift, change

usage: change directions suddenly

35. break, appear

usage: emerge from the surface of a body of water; "The whales broke"

36. collapse, fall in, cave in, give, give way, break, founder, change

usage: break down, literally or metaphorically; "The wall collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The dam broke"; "The roof collapsed"; "The wall gave in"; "The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice"

37. break dance, break-dance, break, dance, trip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toe

usage: do a break dance; "Kids were break-dancing at the street corner"

38. break, change, exchange, commute, convert

usage: exchange for smaller units of money; "I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy"

39. break, break up, change, alter, modify

usage: destroy the completeness of a set of related items; "The book dealer would not break the set"

40. break, shoot

usage: make the opening shot that scatters the balls

41. break, separate, disunite, divide, part

usage: separate from a clinch, in boxing; "The referee broke the boxers"

42. break, wear, wear out, bust, fall apart, decay, crumble, delapidate, break away, break off, break up, break apart

usage: go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"

43. break, break off, snap off, detach

usage: break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree"

44. break

usage: become punctured or penetrated; "The skin broke"

45. break, penetrate, perforate

usage: pierce or penetrate; "The blade broke her skin"

46. break, get out, get around

usage: be released or become known; of news; "News of her death broke in the morning"

47. pause, intermit, break, interrupt, disrupt, break up, cut off

usage: cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch"

48. break, interrupt, disrupt, break up, cut off

usage: interrupt the flow of current in; "break a circuit"

49. break, diphthongize, diphthongise

usage: undergo breaking; "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages"

50. break, destroy, ruin

usage: find a flaw in; "break an alibi"; "break down a proof"

51. break, solve, work out, figure out, puzzle out, lick, work

usage: find the solution or key to; "break the code"

52. break, switch, shift, change

usage: change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another; "Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children"

53. break, recrudesce, develop, happen, hap, go on, pass off, occur, pass, fall out, come about, take place, break out, break through

usage: happen; "Report the news as it develops"; "These political movements recrudesce from time to time"

54. crack, check, break, change

usage: become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated"

55. break, change state, turn

usage: of the male voice in puberty; "his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir"

56. break, decrease, diminish, lessen, fall

usage: fall sharply; "stock prices broke"

57. fracture, break, injure, wound

usage: fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"

58. break, decrease, diminish, lessen, fall

usage: diminish or discontinue abruptly; "The patient's fever broke last night"

59. break, weaken

usage: weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death"