[syn: fracture, break]
58. diminish or discontinue abruptly;
- Example: "The patient's fever broke last night"
59. weaken or destroy in spirit or body;
- Example: "His resistance was broken"
- Example: "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death"
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Break \Break\ (br[=a]k), v. t. [imp. broke (br[=o]k), (Obs.
Brake); p. p. Broken (br[=o]"k'n), (Obs. Broke); p. pr.
& vb. n. Breaking.] [OE. breken, AS. brecan; akin to OS.
brekan, D. breken, OHG. brehhan, G. brechen, Icel. braka to
creak, Sw. braka, br[aum]kka to crack, Dan. br[ae]kke to
break, Goth. brikan to break, L. frangere. Cf. Bray to
pound, Breach, Fragile.]
1. 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.
--Shak.
[1913 Webster]
2. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a
package of goods.
[1913 Webster]
3. To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or
communicate.
[1913 Webster]
Katharine, break thy mind to me. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
4. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise.
[1913 Webster]
Out, out, hyena! these are thy wonted arts . . .
To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray.
--Milton
[1913 Webster]
5. 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.
[1913 Webster]
Go, release them, Ariel;
My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore.
--Shak.
[1913 Webster]
6. To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as,
to break a set.
[1913 Webster]
7. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to
pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British
squares.
[1913 Webster]
8. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments.
[1913 Webster]
The victim broke in pieces the musical instruments
with which he had solaced the hours of captivity.
--Prescott.
[1913 Webster]
9. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller
denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill.
[1913 Webster]
10. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as,
to break flax.
[1913 Webster]
11. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind.
[1913 Webster]
An old man, broken with the storms of state.
--Shak.
[1913 Webster]
12. To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a
fall or blow.
[1913 Webster]
I'll rather leap down first, and break your fall.
--Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
13. 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.
[1913 Webster]
14. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to
discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or
saddle. "To break a colt." --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]
Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute?
--Shak.
[1913 Webster]
15. To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to
ruin.
[1913 Webster]
With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks,
Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks.
--Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
16. To destroy the official character and standing of; to
cashier; to dismiss.
[1913 Webster]
I see a great officer broken. --Swift.
[1913 Webster]
Note: With prepositions or adverbs:
[1913 Webster]
To break down.
(a) To crush; to overwhelm; as, to break down one's
strength; to break down opposition.
(b) To remove, or open a way through, by breaking; as, to
break down a door or wall.
To break in.
(a) To force in; as, to break in a door.
(b) To train; to discipline; as, a horse well broken in.
To break of, to rid of; to cause to abandon; as, to break
one of a habit.
To break off.
(a) To separate by breaking; as, to break off a twig.
(b) To stop suddenly; to abandon. "Break off thy sins by
righteousness." --Dan. iv. 27.
To break open, to open by breaking. "Open the door, or I
will break it open." --Shak.
To break out, to take or force out by breaking; as, to
break out a pane of glass.
To break out a cargo, to unstow a cargo, so as to unload it
easily.
To break through.
(a) To make an opening through, as, as by violence or the
force of gravity; to pass violently through; as, to
break through the enemy's lines; to break through the
ice.
(b) To disregard; as, to break through the ceremony.
To break up.
(a) To separate into parts; to plow (new or fallow
ground). "Break up this capon." --Shak. "Break up
your fallow ground." --Jer. iv. 3.
(b) To dissolve; to put an end to. "Break up the court."
--Shak.
To break (one) all up, to unsettle or disconcert
completely; to upset. [Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
Note: With an immediate object:
[1913 Webster]
To break the back.
(a) To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable totally.
(b) To get through the worst part of; as, to break the
back of a difficult undertaking.
To break bulk, to destroy the entirety of a load by
removing a portion of it; to begin to unload; also, to
transfer in detail, as from boats to cars.
To break a code to discover a method to convert coded
messages into the original understandable text.
To break cover, to burst forth from a protecting
concealment, as game when hunted.
To break a deer or To break a stag, to cut it up and
apportion the parts among those entitled to a share.
To break fast, to partake of food after abstinence. See
Breakfast.
To break ground.
(a) To open the earth as for planting; to commence
excavation, as for building, siege operations, and
the like; as, to break ground for a foundation, a
canal, or a railroad.
(b) Fig.: To begin to execute any plan.
(c) (Naut.) To release the anchor from the bottom.
To break the heart, to crush or overwhelm (one) with grief.
To break a house (Law), to remove or set aside with
violence and a felonious intent any part of a house or of
the fastenings provided to secure it.
To break the ice, to get through first difficulties; to
overcome obstacles and make a beginning; to introduce a
subject.
To break jail, to escape from confinement in jail, usually
by forcible means.
To break a jest, to utter a jest. "Patroclus . . . the
livelong day breaks scurril jests." --Shak.
To break joints, to lay or arrange bricks, shingles, etc.,
so that the joints in one course shall not coincide with
those in the preceding course.
To break a lance, to engage in a tilt or contest.
To break the neck, to dislocate the joints of the neck.
To break no squares, to create no trouble. [Obs.]
To break a path, road, etc., to open a way through
obstacles by force or labor.
To break upon a wheel, to execute or torture, as a criminal
by stretching him upon a wheel, and breaking his limbs
with an iron bar; -- a mode of punishment formerly
employed in some countries.
To break wind, to give vent to wind from the anus.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: To dispart; rend; tear; shatter; batter; violate;
infringe; demolish; destroy; burst; dislocate.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Break \Break\ (br[=a]k), v. i.
1. To come apart or divide into two or more pieces, usually
with suddenness and violence; to part; to burst asunder.
[1913 Webster]
2. To open spontaneously, or by pressure from within, as a
bubble, a tumor, a seed vessel, a bag.
[1913 Webster]
Else the bottle break, and the wine runneth out.
--Math. ix.
17.
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3. To burst forth; to make its way; to come to view; to
appear; to dawn.
[1913 Webster]
The day begins to break, and night is fled. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
And from the turf a fountain broke,
and gurgled at our feet. --Wordsworth.
[1913 Webster]
4. To burst forth violently, as a storm.
[1913 Webster]
The clouds are still above; and, while I speak,
A second deluge o'er our head may break. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
5. To open up; to be scattered; to be dissipated; as, the
clouds are breaking.
[1913 Webster]
At length the darkness begins to break. --Macaulay.
[1913 Webster]
6. To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose
health or strength.
[1913 Webster]
See how the dean begins to break;
Poor gentleman! he droops apace. --Swift.
[1913 Webster]
7. To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief; as, my
heart is breaking.
[1913 Webster]
8. To fall in business; to become bankrupt.
[1913 Webster]
He that puts all upon adventures doth oftentimes
break, and come to poverty. --Bacn.
[1913 Webster]
9. To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait;
as, to break into a run or gallop.
[1913 Webster]
10. 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.
[1913 Webster]
11. To fall out; to terminate friendship.
[1913 Webster]
To break upon the score of danger or expense is to
be mean and narrow-spirited. --Collier.
[1913 Webster]
Note: With prepositions or adverbs:
[1913 Webster]
To break away, to disengage one's self abruptly; to come or
go away against resistance.
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Fear me not, man; I will not break away. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
To break down.
(a) To come down by breaking; as, the coach broke down.
(b) To fail in any undertaking; to halt before successful
completion; as, the negotiations broke down due to
irreconcilable demands.
(c) To cease functioning or to malfunction; as, the car
broke down in the middle of the highway.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
He had broken down almost at the outset.
--Thackeray.
[1913 Webster]
To break forth, to issue; to come out suddenly, as sound,
light, etc. "Then shall thy light break forth as the
morning." --Isa. lviii. 8;
[1913 Webster]
Note: often with into in expressing or giving vent to one's
feelings. "Break forth into singing, ye mountains."
--Isa. xliv. 23.
[1913 Webster]
To break from, to go away from abruptly.
[1913 Webster]
This radiant from the circling crowd he broke.
--Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
To break into, to enter by breaking; as, to break into a
house.
To break in upon, to enter or approach violently or
unexpectedly. "This, this is he; softly awhile; let us not
break in upon him." --Milton.
To break loose.
(a) To extricate one's self forcibly. "Who would not,
finding way, break loose from hell?" --Milton.
(b) To cast off restraint, as of morals or propriety.
To break off.
(a) To become separated by rupture, or with suddenness
and violence.
(b) To desist or cease suddenly. "Nay, forward, old man;
do not break off so." --Shak.
To break off from, to desist from; to abandon, as a habit.
To break out.
(a) To burst forth; to escape from restraint; to appear
suddenly, as a fire or an epidemic. "For in the
wilderness shall waters break out, and stream in the
desert." --Isa. xxxv. 6
(b) To show itself in cutaneous eruptions; -- said of a
disease.
(c) To have a rash or eruption on the akin; -- said of a
patient.
To break over, to overflow; to go beyond limits.
To break up.
(a) To become separated into parts or fragments; as, the
ice break up in the rivers; the wreck will break up
in the next storm.
(b) To disperse. "The company breaks up." --I. Watts.
To break upon, to discover itself suddenly to; to dawn
upon.
To break with.
(a) To fall out; to sever one's relations with; to part
friendship. "It can not be the Volsces dare break
with us." --Shak. "If she did not intend to marry
Clive, she should have broken with him altogether."
--Thackeray.
(b) To come to an explanation; to enter into conference;
to speak. [Obs.] "I will break with her and with her
father." --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Break \Break\ (br[=a]k), n. [See Break, v. t., and cf. Brake
(the instrument), Breach, Brack a crack.]
1. An opening made by fracture or disruption.
[1913 Webster]
2. An interruption of continuity; change of direction; as, a
break in a wall; a break in the deck of a ship.
Specifically:
(a) (Arch.) A projection or recess from the face of a
building.
(b) (Elec.) An opening or displacement in the circuit,
interrupting the electrical current.
[1913 Webster]
3. An interruption; a pause; as, a break in friendship; a
break in the conversation.
[1913 Webster]
4. An interruption in continuity in writing or printing, as
where there is an omission, an unfilled line, etc.
[1913 Webster]
All modern trash is
Set forth with numerous breaks and dashes. --Swift.
[1913 Webster]
5. The first appearing, as of light in the morning; the dawn;
as, the break of day; the break of dawn.
[1913 Webster]
6. A large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and
calash top, with the driver's seat in front and the
footman's behind.
[1913 Webster]
7. A device for checking motion, or for measuring friction.
See Brake, n. 9 & 10.
[1913 Webster]
8. (Teleg.) See Commutator.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
break
n 1: some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity;
"the telephone is an annoying interruption"; "there was a
break in the action when a player was hurt" [syn:
interruption, break]
2: an unexpected piece of good luck; "he finally got his big
break" [syn: break, good luck, happy chance]
3: (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"; "he studied the
faulting of the earth's crust" [syn: fault, faulting,
geological fault, shift, fracture, break]
4: a personal or social separation (as between opposing
factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations" [syn:
rupture, breach, break, severance, rift, falling
out]
5: a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute
break"; "he took time out to recuperate" [syn: respite,
recess, break, time out]
6: the act of breaking something; "the breakage was unavoidable"
[syn: breakage, break, breaking]
7: a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation
of something [syn: pause, intermission, break,
interruption, suspension]
8: breaking of hard tissue such as bone; "it was a nasty
fracture"; "the break seems to have been caused by a fall"
[syn: fracture, break]
9: the occurrence of breaking; "the break in the dam threatened
the valley"
10: an abrupt change in the tone or register of the voice (as at
puberty or due to emotion); "then there was a break in her
voice"
11: the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or
pool
12: (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your
opponent was serving; "he was up two breaks in the second
set" [syn: break, break of serve]
13: an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity; "it was
presented without commercial breaks"; "there was a gap in
his account" [syn: break, interruption, disruption,
gap]
14: a sudden dash; "he made a break for the open door"
15: any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare;
"the break in the eighth frame cost him the match" [syn:
open frame, break]
16: an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned"
[syn: break, breakout, jailbreak, gaolbreak,
prisonbreak, prison-breaking]
v 1: terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky
streak"; "break the cycle of poverty" [syn: interrupt,
break]
2: become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine
broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart" [syn: break,
separate, split up, fall apart, come apart]
3: render inoperable or ineffective; "You broke the alarm clock
when you took it apart!"
4: ruin completely; "He busted my radio!" [syn: break, bust]
[ant: bushel, doctor, fix, furbish up, mend,
repair, restore, touch on]
5: destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate
into pieces or fragments; "He broke the glass plate"; "She
broke the match"
6: act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises;
"offend all laws of humanity"; "violate the basic laws or
human civilization"; "break a law"; "break a promise" [syn:
transgress, offend, infract, violate, go against,
breach, break] [ant: keep, observe]
7: move away or escape suddenly; "The horses broke from the
stable"; "Three inmates broke jail"; "Nobody can break out--
this prison is high security" [syn: break, break out,
break away]
8: scatter or part; "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"
9: force out or release suddenly and often violently something
pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger" [syn: break,
burst, erupt]
10: prevent completion; "stop the project"; "break off the
negotiations" [syn: break, break off, discontinue,
stop]
11: enter someone's (virtual or real) 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!";
"who broke into my account last night?" [syn: break in,
break]
12: make submissive, obedient, or useful; "The horse was tough
to break"; "I broke in the new intern" [syn: break in,
break]
13: fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or
patterns; "This sentence violates the rules of syntax" [syn:
violate, go against, break] [ant: conform to]
14: surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break
a record" [syn: better, break]
15: 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"; "unwrap the evidence in the murder case" [syn:
unwrap, disclose, let on, bring out, reveal,
discover, expose, divulge, break, give away, let
out]
16: come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices
broke in the air"
17: 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" [syn: fail, go bad, give way, die,
give out, conk out, go, break, break down]
18: interrupt a continued activity; "She had broken with the
traditional patterns" [syn: break, break away]
19: make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by
quitting or fleeing; "The ranks broke"
20: curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The
surf broke"
21: lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"
[syn: dampen, damp, soften, weaken, break]
22: be broken in; "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add
some stress"
23: come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"
24: vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat
plain was broken by tall mesas"
25: cause to give up a habit; "She finally broke herself of
smoking cigarettes"
26: give up; "break cigarette smoking"
27: come forth or begin from a state of latency; "The first
winter storm broke over New York"
28: happen or take place; "Things have been breaking pretty well
for us in the past few months"
29: cause the failure or ruin of; "His peccadilloes finally
broke his marriage"; "This play will either make or break
the playwright" [ant: make]
30: invalidate by judicial action; "The will was broken"
31: 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" [syn: separate, part, split up, split,
break, break up]
32: assign to a lower position; reduce in rank; "She was demoted
because she always speaks up"; "He was broken down to
Sergeant" [syn: demote, bump, relegate, break, kick
downstairs] [ant: advance, elevate, kick upstairs,
promote, raise, upgrade]
33: reduce to bankruptcy; "My daughter's fancy wedding is going
to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets smashed
him" [syn: bankrupt, ruin, break, smash]
34: change directions suddenly
35: emerge from the surface of a body of water; "The whales
broke"
36: 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" [syn: collapse, fall in,
cave in, give, give way, break, founder]
37: do a break dance; "Kids were break-dancing at the street
corner" [syn: break dance, break-dance, break]
38: exchange for smaller units of money; "I had to break a $100
bill just to buy the candy"
39: destroy the completeness of a set of related items; "The
book dealer would not break the set" [syn: break, break
up]
40: make the opening shot that scatters the balls
41: separate from a clinch, in boxing; "The referee broke the
boxers"
42: go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears
wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"
[syn: break, wear, wear out, bust, fall apart]
43: break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree"
[syn: break, break off, snap off]
44: become punctured or penetrated; "The skin broke"
45: pierce or penetrate; "The blade broke her skin"
46: be released or become known; of news; "News of her death
broke in the morning" [syn: break, get out, get
around]
47: cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station
identification"; "let's break for lunch" [syn: pause,
intermit, break]
48: interrupt the flow of current in; "break a circuit"
49: undergo breaking; "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic
languages"
50: find a flaw in; "break an alibi"; "break down a proof"
51: find the solution or key to; "break the code"
52: 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: happen; "Report the news as it develops"; "These political
movements recrudesce from time to time" [syn: break,
recrudesce, develop]
54: become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The
glass cracked when it was heated" [syn: crack, check,
break]
55: crack; of the male voice in puberty; "his voice is breaking
--he should no longer sing in the choir"
56: fall sharply; "stock prices broke"
57: fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"
[syn: fracture, break]
58: diminish or discontinue abruptly; "The patient's fever broke
last night"
59: weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was
broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-
death"
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
992 Moby Thesaurus words for "break":
abeyance, about ship, about-face, abrade, abrasion, abscond, abysm,
abyss, accidentality, acclimate, acclimatize, accommodate,
accommodation, accustom, actuarial calculation, adapt, adaptation,
adjust, adjustment, adventitiousness, agree to disagree,
alienation, alter, alteration, ameliorate, amelioration, announce,
apostasy, appear, apprentice, arrearage, arroyo, back and fill,
bankrupt, bark, be at cross-purposes, be changed,
be converted into, be poised, be renewed, be ruined, bear away,
bear market, bear off, bear to starboard, bearish market, beat,
beat about, beat down, become insolvent, become public, bed,
bed down, befall, begin, bend, betide, betterment, billow, blemish,
blessing, bloody, blooper, blow, boner, boo-boo, boot, bottom out,
bounce, box canyon, box off, breach, breach of friendship, break,
break away, break down, break forth, break ground, break in,
break of, break off, break open, break out, break the ice,
break through, break to harness, break up, break with, breakage,
breakout, breath, breathe, breather, breathing place,
breathing space, breathing spell, breathing time, breed, bridle,
brighten, bring about, bring low, bring round, bring to terms,
bring up, broken circuit, browbeat, brush, bulldoze, bully, bump,
bunk, burglarize, burgle, burn, burn off, burst, burst forth,
burst in, bust, buzz about, caesura, call a break, call time, can,
cant, cant round, canyon, case harden, cashier, cast, cast about,
castrate, casualness, cave, cave in, cavity, cease, cease-fire,
cessation, chafe, chance, change, change course, change of heart,
change the heading, changeableness, chap, chasm, cheapen,
cheapening, check, checker, chimney, chink, chip, chop,
chop and change, cigarette break, cipher, circuit, circuital field,
circulate, clamp down on, clash, claw, cleavage, cleave, cleft,
cleuch, closed circuit, clough, cocktail hour, coerce,
coffee break, col, collapse, collide, comb, come about, come apart,
come around, come forth, come off, come out, come round,
come unstuck, commence, comminute, communicate, compel,
complete circuit, concussion, condition, confirm, conflict,
confound, confute, conk out, conquer, constructive change,
continuity, contradict, contravene, controvert, conversion, convey,
coulee, couloir, counter, cow, crack, crackle, cranny, crash,
craze, crevasse, crevice, cripple, crumble, crumple, crush,
cryptanalyze, cultivate, cure, curry, currycomb, cut, cut apart,
cut off, cut prices, cwm, dash, daunt, dawn, day off, dead circuit,
debilitate, decamp, decipher, declare a recess, decline,
declining market, decompose, deconsecrate, decrypt, defalcation,
defeat, defect, defection, deficiency, deficit, defile, deflate,
deflation, defrock, defy, degenerate, degeneration,
degenerative change, degrade, deliverance, delivery, dell, dement,
demerit, demolish, demoralize, demote, depart, depart from,
deplume, depose, depreciate, depreciation, deprive, despotize,
destiny, destroy, detach, deteriorate, deterioration, dethrone,
devaluate, devaluation, develop, deviate, deviation, differ,
difference, dike, disaccord, disaccustom, disaffection, disagree,
disarrange, disavow, disband, disbar, discipline, disclose,
disconfirm, discontinuation, discontinue, discontinuity,
discourage, discrown, disemploy, disengage, disenthrone, disfavor,
disgrade, disintegrate, disjoin, dismiss, disobey, disperse,
displace, displume, disregard, disrupt, disruption, dissent,
dissolve, disturb, disunion, disunity, ditch, dive, diverge,
divergence, diversification, diversify, diversion, diversity,
divide, dividedness, division, divulge, do violence to,
domesticate, domesticize, domineer, domineer over, donga,
double a point, downgrade, downtime, draw, drench, drill, droop,
drop, drum out, ease up, ebb and flow, educate, emerge, emergence,
end, enforced respite, enslave, erupt, escape, escapism, establish,
estrangement, evasion, evert, excavation, excommunicate, exercise,
exfoliate, exhaust, expel, explode, extrication, fade, fail, faint,
fall, fall in price, fall out, fall to pieces, falling-out,
familiarize, fate, fault, faux, feed, fell, fetch about, fetch up,
find vent, fire, fissure, fit, fitting, fix, fizzle out, flag,
flash burn, flatten, flaw, flee, flight, flip-flop, flop, flout,
fluke, flukiness, flume, fly, fly about, fodder, foil, fold,
fold up, form, fortuitousness, fortuity, fortune, foster, found,
fracture, fragment, fray, frazzle, freeing, fret, frustrate,
furlough, furrow, gaffe, gall, galvanic circuit, gamble, gap, gape,
gash, gentle, get about, get abroad, get afloat, get around,
get exposure, get through, getaway, give away, give out,
give the ax, give the gate, give up, give way, go, go about,
go bankrupt, go broke, go downhill, go forth, go into receivership,
go soft, go the rounds, go to pieces, go to pot, go to ruin,
go under, go up, good fortune, good luck, gorge, gradual change,
grind, grind down, groom, groove, grow bright, grow light, gulch,
gulf, gully, gybe, habituate, half time, half-time intermission,
halt, handle, hap, happenstance, happy chance, happy hour, harden,
harness, haul around, have currency, heave, heave round,
heedless hap, henpeck, hesitation, hiatus, hit the skids, hitch,
hole, holiday, hot circuit, house-train, housebreak, how they fall,
humble, humiliate, hurt, ignore, impart, impoverish, impropriety,
improve, improvement, inaugurate, incise, incision, indecorum,
indeterminacy, indeterminateness, infract, infringe, initiate,
injure, injury, innovate, interfere, interim, interject, interlude,
intermezzo, intermission, intermit, intermittence, interpose,
interregnum, interrupt, interruption, interval, intervene,
intimidate, intrude, inure, irregularity, issuance, issue,
jailbreak, jangle, jar, jew down, jibe, jibe all standing, joint,
jostle, keep down, keep under, kick, kick upstairs, kloof,
knock off, lacerate, laceration, lack, lacuna, languish, lapse,
lateral circuit, law of averages, lay off, layoff, leak, leakage,
leave, leg, lesion, let go, let out, letup, liberation,
lick into shape, lift, light, lighten, liquidate, litter,
live circuit, look-in, loop, lord it over, lot, lower, lowering,
luck, lucky break, lucky strike, lull, magnetic circuit, maim,
make mincemeat of, make public, make redundant, manage, mark down,
markdown, master, maul, meliorate, melioration, microcircuit, milk,
mismatch, mismate, miss stays, missing link, mitigate, mitigation,
moat, modification, modulate, modulation, moira, mortal wound,
multiple circuit, multiple series, mutate, mutilate, mutilation,
naturalize, need, negate, nose dive, nose-dive, notch, nullah,
nurse, nurture, object, occasion, occur, off market, off-time,
offend, omission, open, open rupture, opening, opportunity,
oppress, orient, orientate, oust, out, outage, outlet, overawe,
overbear, overcome, overmaster, override, overthrow, overwhelm,
pare, parenthesis, pass, pass on, passage, path, pauper, pauperize,
pause, peak, peg out, penetrate, pension, pension off, peter out,
pierce, pine, plateau, plummet, plummeting, plunge, ply,
point of repose, poop out, popple, practice, prepare,
press heavy on, price cut, price fall, price reduction,
principle of indeterminacy, printed circuit, prisonbreak,
probability, problematicness, prostrate, puncture, purge,
put about, put back, put down, put in tune, put to school,
puzzle out, qualification, quell, quiet spell, radical change,
raise, random sample, ravine, re-creation, read out of, ready,
realignment, rear, rebut, recall of ambassadors, recess, redesign,
reduce, reduction, reform, reformation, refute, rehearse, relax,
release, relief, remaking, remission, remove, remove from office,
rend, renewal, renounce, rent, replace, repress, repudiate, rescue,
reshaping, resolve, respite, rest, resting point, restructuring,
retire, retreating market, reveal, reversal, revival, revive,
revivification, revolution, riddance, ride down, ride over,
ride roughshod over, rift, rime, rip, rise, rise and fall, risk,
rive, rob, roll, round a point, rub down, ruin, run, run of luck,
rupture, sack, saddle, sag, sagging market, savage, scald, scale,
scape, scatter, scend, schism, scissure, scorch, scotch, scrape,
scratch, scuff, scuttle, seam, season, second-degree burn,
see the light, send, send to school, separate forcibly, separation,
serendipity, series multiple, set at defiance, set at naught,
set naught by, set up, setting-free, sever, shard, shatter, shave,
sheer, shift, shiver, short, short circuit, shortage, shot, show,
shut down, sink, skin, slash, slew, slice, slit, slot, slump,
smash, snap, snap the thread, soft market, solecism, sore, spell,
splinter, split, sprain, spread, spread about,
spread like wildfire, spring a leak, squeak, stab, stab wound,
stand-down, start, statistical probability, stay, stick, stop,
stop for breath, strain, streak of luck, strip, strip of office,
strip of rank, stroke of luck, subdue, subjugate, sudden change,
superannuate, suppress, surcease, surge, surplus, suspend,
suspension, swell, swerve, swing round, swing the stern, switch,
tack, take a break, take a recess, take a rest, take a turn,
take five, take in hand, take ten, take the plunge, take time out,
tame, tea break, tear, tell, ten, tend, terrorize, the breaks,
theory of probability, third-degree burn, throw about, time,
time off, time out, toss, total change, train, trample down,
trample on, trample underfoot, trample upon, transgress,
transition, transmit, transpire, trauma, traumatize, tread down,
tread underfoot, tread upon, trench, trespass, trim, truce, turn,
turn aside, turn back, turn into, turn off, turn out, turn over,
turn the corner, turnabout, tyrannize, tyrannize over, ullage,
uncertainty, uncertainty principle, unchurch, undergo a change,
undermine, undulate, unevenness, unfold, unfrock, unman, unravel,
unriddle, unsaddle, unseat, unthrone, upheaval, vacation, valley,
vanquish, variation, variety, vary, vector field, veer, vent,
violate, violent change, void, wadi, walk all over, walk over,
want, wantage, warp, water, wave, weaken, wean, wear, wear away,
wear out, wear ship, wear thin, weary, weigh heavy on,
whatever comes, wilt, wind, wont, worsen, worsening, wound,
wounds immedicable, wrench, yaw, yield, yoke
The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):
break
1. vt. To cause to be broken (in any sense). ?Your latest patch to the
editor broke the paragraph commands.?
2. v. (of a program) To stop temporarily, so that it may debugged. The
place where it stops is a breakpoint.
3. [techspeak] vi. To send an RS-232 break (two character widths of line
high) over a serial comm line.
4. [Unix] vi. To strike whatever key currently causes the tty driver to
send SIGINT to the current process. Normally, break (sense 3), delete or
control-C does this.
5. break break may be said to interrupt a conversation (this is an example
of verb doubling). This usage comes from radio communications, which in
turn probably came from landline telegraph/teleprinter usage, as badly
abused in the Citizen's Band craze of the early 1980s.
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):
break
1. To cause to be broken. "Your latest patch
to the editor broke the paragraph commands."
2. (Of a program) To stop temporarily, so that it may
debugged. The place where it stops is a "breakpoint".
3. To send an EIA-232 break (two character widths of line
high) over a serial line.
4. [Unix] To strike whatever key currently causes the tty
driver to send SIGINT to the current process. Normally,
break, delete or control-C does this.
5. "break break" may be said to interrupt a conversation (this
is an example of verb doubling). This usage comes from radio
communications, which in turn probably came from landline
telegraph/teleprinter usage, as badly abused in the Citizen's
Band craze.
6. pipeline break.
7. break statement.
[Jargon File]
(2004-03-24)