![]() ![]() To break free from something is to escape it, to manage to get free from it. break = run or escapeīreak can also be used to mean running or escaping. Let’s say I see my neighbor’s dog escape from their house and get hit by a car – I will then have to go break the news to my neighbor that unfortunately their dog is injured or dead. In a similar way of break meaning “to make something known,” we have a specific expression break the news to somebody, which means to inform them of bad news. We also have the expression breaking news, which means the most recent news that is being published very soon after it happened. Saying “the scandal broke” means that the scandal was made known publicly. When talking about the context of news, break can mean to reveal something to the public. ![]() break = reveal news, make something known Let’s say I really want to be a doctor, but then I read an article about how doctors are always really stressed, that might break my resolve (destroy my determination) to become a doctor. If something breaks your resolve, it means it weakens/destroys your decision or determination to do something. Let’s say some parents are always telling their child negative things like “You’re so stupid,” it would break the child’s spirit.Īnother example is to break power – sometimes governments make laws to break the power of large corporations, meaning to weaken or destroy the power of those companies. If something breaks your spirit, that’s different – it means it destroys your confidence and self-esteem. ![]() Maybe a boyfriend or girlfriend who you really loved, decided to end the relationship unexpectedly – that would break your heart. If someone breaks your heart, it means they hurt you very badly emotionally. break = weaken, hurt, destroy something not physicalīreak can also mean to weaken, hurt, or destroy something – usually something that’s not physical. I’m trying to break the habit of drinking 5 cups of coffee per day. When people are training to be in the circus, and doing dangerous acrobatics high in the air, there is a net underneath to break the fall, so if they do fall down, their fall would be interrupted before they hit the ground. If I’m focusing on developing a new lesson, but then my cell phone rings, it would break my train of thought, and if I answer the phone call, I might have a hard time getting back to what I was thinking about.įinally, if someone is falling, hopefully there is something to break the fall, interrupt the fall before that person hits the ground. ![]() Like if everyone in a meeting is quiet and thinking about how to solve a problem, and then someone says, “I have an idea,” that comment would break the silence, interrupt the silence.Īnother expression is to break your train of thought – this is used when you’re thinking deeply about a topic and concentrating hard on it, but then something happens to distract you. Other expressions that use “break” in the sense of “interrupt” are when it’s quiet, but then something breaks the silence. So remember – “take a break” is a temporary pause, but if you break a habit, hopefully you stop the habit permanently. If I eat a lot of fast food, I need to break that habit if I want to become healthier. If you break a habit, it means you stop doing something you previously did often. Similarly, break can also mean to interrupt something, and sometimes stop it permanently. break = interrupt (and sometimes stop permanently) These all describe brief pauses or stops in the middle of an activity, in order to eat, drink, go to the bathroom, or smoke. It’s probably more common to use the noun form, by saying “Let’s take a break.” We sometimes describe what the stop/pause is for – you can talk about a coffee break, a bathroom break, a smoking/cigarette break, a lunch break. We also use break to mean “stop for a short time” – for example, in the middle of an all-day meeting, the boss might say “Let’s break for lunch” – let’s stop the meeting briefly for lunch. If you exceed the speed limit, you’re breaking the law break = stop activity for a short time ![]()
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