1. v. (transitive, intransitive) To 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.
In order to tend to the accident victim, he will break the window of the car.
2. v. (transitive, intransitive) To crack or fracture (bone) under a physical strain.
His ribs broke under the weight of the rocks piled on his chest.
She broke her neck.
He slipped on the ice and broke his leg.
3. v. To divide (something, often money) into smaller units.
Can you break a hundred-dollar bill for me?
The wholesaler broke the container loads into palettes and boxes for local retailers.
4. v. To cause (a person or animal) to lose spirit or will; to crush the spirits of.
Her child's death broke Angela.
Interrogators have used many forms of torture to break prisoners of war.
The interrogator hoped to break her to get her testimony against her accomplices.
5. v. To turn an animal into a beast of burden.
You have to break an elephant before you can use it as an animal of burden.
6. v. (intransitive) To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief.
My heart is breaking.
7. v. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate.
I've got to break this habit I have of biting my nails.
to break silence; to break one's sleep; to break one's journey
I had won four games in a row, but now you've broken my streak of luck.
8. v. To ruin financially.
The recession broke some small businesses.
9. v. To violate, to not adhere to.
When you go to Vancouver, promise me you won't break the law.
He broke his vows by cheating on his wife.
break one's word
Time travel would break the laws of physics.
10. v. (intransitive, of a fever) To pass the most dangerous part of the illness; to go down, in terms of temperature.
Susan's fever broke at about 3 AM, and the doctor said the worst was over.
11. v. (intransitive, of a spell of settled weather) To end.
The forecast says the hot weather will break by midweek.
12. v. (intransitive, of a storm) To begin; to end.
We ran to find shelter before the storm broke.
Around midday the storm broke, and the afternoon was calm and sunny.
13. v. (intransitive, of morning, dawn, day etc.) To arrive.
Morning has broken.
The day broke crisp and clear.
14. v. (transitive, gaming slang) To 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.
I broke the RPG by training every member of my party to cast fireballs as well as use swords.
15. v. (transitive, intransitive) To stop, or to cause to stop, functioning properly or altogether.
On the hottest day of the year the refrigerator broke.
Did you two break the trolley by racing with it?
16. v. (specifically, in programming) To cause (some feature of a program or piece of software) to stop functioning properly; to cause a regression.
Adding 64-bit support broke backward compatibility with earlier versions.
17. v. To cause (a barrier) to no longer bar.
break a seal
18. v. (specifically) To cause the shell of (an egg) to crack, so that the inside (yolk) is accessible.
19. v. (specifically) To open (a safe) without using the correct key, combination or the like.
20. v. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce.
The cavalry were not able to break the British squares.
21. v. (intransitive) To burst forth; to make its way; to come into view.
22. v. (intransitive) To interrupt or cease one's work or occupation temporarily.
Let's break for lunch.
23. v. To 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.
24. v. (transitive, ergative) To disclose or make known an item of news, etc.
The newsman wanted to break a big story, something that would make him famous.
I don't know how to break this to you, but your cat is not coming back.
In the latest breaking news...
When news of their divorce broke, ...
25. v. (intransitive, of a sound) To become audible suddenly.
26. v. To change a steady state abruptly.
His coughing broke the silence.
His turning on the lights broke the enchantment.
With the mood broken, what we had been doing seemed pretty silly.
27. v. (copulative, informal) To suddenly become.
Things began breaking bad for him when his parents died.
The arrest was standard, when suddenly the suspect broke ugly.
28. v. (intransitive) Of a male voice, to become deeper at puberty.
29. v. (intransitive) Of 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.
30. v. To surpass or do better than (a specific number), to do better than (a record), setting a new record.
He broke the men's 100-meter record.
I can't believe she broke 3 under par!
The policeman broke sixty on a residential street in his hurry to catch the thief.
31. v. (sports):
32. v. (transitive, tennis) To win a game (against one's opponent) as receiver.
He needs to break serve to win the match.
33. v. (intransitive, billiards, snooker, pool) To make the first shot; to scatter the balls from the initial neat arrangement.
Is it your or my turn to break?
34. v. (transitive, backgammon) To remove one of the two men on (a point).
35. v. (transitive military, most often in the passive tense) To demote, to reduce the military rank of.
36. v. To end (a connection), to disconnect.
The referee ordered the boxers to break the clinch.
The referee broke the boxers' clinch.
I couldn't hear a thing he was saying, so I broke the connection and called him back.
37. v. (intransitive, of an emulsion) To demulsify.
38. v. (intransitive, sports) To counter-attack
39. v. (transitive, obsolete) To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate.
40. v. (intransitive) To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength.
41. v. (intransitive, obsolete) To fail in business; to become bankrupt.
42. v. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of.
to break flax
43. v. To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss.
44. v. (intransitive) To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait.
to break into a run or gallop
45. v. (intransitive, archaic) To fall out; to terminate friendship.
alb
1. n. (Habillement) Aube.
alb
1. n. (Christianity, chiefly Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism) A long, white robe worn by priests and other ministers, underneath most of the other vestments.
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