break
gb/bɹˈeɪk/ us/bɹˈeɪk/
A1
Inglés
~ 2200
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Verbo
A2
action
1
Cause to separate into pieces
To make something come apart into pieces by hitting, dropping, or bending it.
Patrón de uso:
to break [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse 'break' with 'destroy'. 'Destroy' means to ruin completely, while 'break' means to make something come apart or stop working.
Sinónimos
shatter (Implies breaking into many small, sharp pieces, often with force and noise.)
Antónimos
repair (Means to fix something that is broken so it can be used again.)
Colocaciones
break a glass
|break a bone
|break the window
|break a plate
Temas
daily life
|objects
|accidents
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- Be careful not to break the vase.
- She broke her phone when she dropped it on the floor.
- The kids accidentally broke the window while playing.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I broke my cup.
- He broke the chair.
- We broke the door by mistake.
Verbo
A2
action
2
Stop briefly from activity
To stop doing something for a short time to rest or do something else.
Patrón de uso:
to break for [something]
Sinónimos
pause (A more general term for stopping briefly, often without physical rest.)
Antónimos
continue (Means to keep doing something without stopping.)
Colocaciones
break for lunch
|break the meeting
|break for coffee
Temas
daily life
|work
|time
|daily_life
Ejemplos
- Let's break for lunch at noon.
- The teacher broke the class for a short break.
- We broke the meeting to take some calls.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- We break for lunch at 12.
- The class breaks at 10:30.
- Let's break now.
Verbo
A2
action
3
Cause to stop working
To make something not work anymore.
Patrón de uso:
to break [machine/device]
Sinónimos
damage (A broader term that can mean harm without complete failure.)
Antónimos
fix (Means to repair something so it works again.)
Colocaciones
break the computer
|break the engine
|break the lock
Temas
technology
|daily life
|daily_life
Ejemplos
- She broke her laptop by spilling coffee on it.
- The storm broke the satellite dish.
- I think I broke the printer when I tried to fix it.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I broke my phone.
- He broke the TV.
- We broke the car engine.
Sustantivo
A1
event
4
Short rest from activity
A short time when you stop working or doing something.
Sinónimos
pause (A shorter or less formal stop than a full break.)
Antónimos
continuation (Means carrying on without stopping.)
Colocaciones
coffee break
|lunch break
|short break
Temas
daily life
|work
|time
|daily_life
Ejemplos
- Let's take a coffee break before we continue.
- The workers get two breaks each day.
- After a short break, they went back to work.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- We have a break at 3 pm.
- Let's take a short break.
- I need a break now.
Verbo
B1
action
5
Fail to follow rule/agreement
To not do what a rule, law, or promise says you must do.
Patrón de uso:
to break [law/rule/promise]
Sinónimos
violate (More formal term used in legal contexts.)
Antónimos
keep (Means to honor or follow a rule or promise.)
Colocaciones
break the law
|break a promise
|break the rules
Temas
law
|ethics
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- He broke the law by driving without a license.
- You shouldn't break your promises.
- They broke the agreement after just one month.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- Don't break the rules.
- He broke his promise.
- We broke the law.
Verbo
B1
action
6
Interrupt continuity of something
To stop something that is going on without pause.
Sinónimos
interrupt (General term for stopping a continuous action or state.)
Antónimos
maintain (Means to keep something going without interruption.)
Colocaciones
break the silence
|break concentration
|break the line
Temas
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- She broke the silence with a sudden laugh.
- His phone call broke my concentration.
- The fence was broken by the fallen tree.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- He broke my sleep.
- The noise broke the silence.
- She broke my thinking.
Verbo
A2
event
7
Separate into pieces unintentionally
To come apart into pieces by accident or because it is weak.
Sinónimos
snap (Often refers to quick breaking with a sharp sound.)
Antónimos
hold together (Means to remain whole and unbroken.)
Colocaciones
rope breaks
|stick breaks
|glass breaks
Temas
daily life
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The rope broke under the weight.
- My glasses broke when I fell.
- The branch broke in the wind.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The glass broke.
- The tree branch broke in the wind.
- My pen broke.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
break
AFI
GB/bɹˈeɪk/
US/bɹˈeɪk/
Sílabas y acento
break (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (break)
Formas de la palabra
Noun
- Base: break
- Plural: break, breaks
Verb
- Base: break
- 3rd Person Singular: breaks
- Present Participle: breaking
- Past: broke
- Past Participle: broken
Familia de palabras
Forms
Core family
breakable
adjective B1
Related words
breakdown
noun B1
breakthrough
noun B2
Negative and opposite forms
unbreakable
adjective
unbroken
adjective B1
Advanced or less common
breakage
noun
Aspectos destacados
- Irregular past: broke Verb
- Irregular past participle: broken Verb
Expresiones
break up
1/bɹˈeɪk ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
End relationship or disperse group
To end a romantic relationship, or to make people in a group go away from each other.
Ejemplos
- They decided to break up after five years together.
- The police broke up the crowd.
give me a break
1/ɡˈɪv mˈi ə bɹˈeɪk/
idiom
informal
Request relief or express disbelief/impatience
'Stop bothering me' or 'I don't believe that' depending on context.
Ejemplos
- Oh, give me a break! That can't be true.
- Give me a break, I've been working all day!
take a break
1/tˈeɪk ə bɹˈeɪk/
fixed phrase
Stop temporarily for rest/refreshment
To stop what you are doing for a short time so you can rest.
Ejemplos
- Let's take a break before we continue working.
- You should take a break if you feel tired.
break into
1/bɹˈeɪk ˈɪntu/
phrasal verb
Enter illegally or start suddenly
To go into a place by force without permission, or suddenly start doing something like singing or laughing.
Ejemplos
- Someone broke into their house last night.
- Someone tried to break into our house last night.
- Thieves broke into the store and stole jewelry.
- He broke into laughter during the speech.
break down
1/bɹˈeɪk dˈaʊn/
phrasal verb
Stop working or collapse emotionally
When a machine stops working, or when a person starts crying or cannot control emotions anymore.
Ejemplos
- My car broke down on the way home.
- Our car broke down on the way to the airport.
- She broke down in tears when she heard the news.
- Let me break down the process so everyone can understand it.
- The washing machine has broken down again.
- She broke down in tears after hearing the news.
- The washing machine keeps breaking down, so we need a new one.
- He tried to stay calm but finally broke down during the interview.
- The teacher broke the problem down into three simple questions.
- The bus broke down in the middle of the journey and everyone had to get off.
- After days of stress, he broke down and asked for help.
- The article breaks down the new law in clear language.