break

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To separate something into pieces, or to make it stop working, often suddenly.

   He dropped the glass and it broke on the floor.

2. 2
   verb

   To fail to obey a law, rule, or promise.

   You broke the rules, so you must face the consequences.

3. 3
   noun

   A short rest or pause from an activity.

   Let's take a short break and have some coffee.

4. 4
   verb

   To stop a habit.

   She finally broke her habit of biting her nails.

Multiword verbs with break

• break apart Phrasal verb A1

  to separate into smaller pieces or distinct parts

• break off Phrasal verb A1

  to separate a piece from a larger object by breaking it

Appears in

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-der. Proto-Germanic *brekaną Proto-West Germanic *brekan Old English brecan Middle English breken English break From Middle English breken, from Old English brecan (“to break”), from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”). Doublet of bray. Cognates Cognates of Germanic origin include Scots brek (“to break”), West Frisian brekke (“to break”), Dutch breken (“to break”), Low German breken (“to break”), German brechen (“to break”), French broyer (“to crush, grind”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰…

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary