break

1. v. t. 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. Source: opted

2. v. t. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a package of goods. Source: opted

3. v. t. To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate. Source: opted

4. v. t. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise. Source: opted

5. v. t. 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. Source: opted

6. v. t. To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as, to break a set. Source: opted

7. v. t. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British squares. Source: opted

8. v. t. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments. Source: opted

9. v. t. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill. Source: opted

10. v. t. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as, to break flax. Source: opted

11. v. t. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind. Source: opted

12. v. t. To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a fall or blow. Source: opted

13. v. t. To word/impart">impart, as word/news">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. Source: opted

14. v. t. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or saddle. Source: opted

15. v. t. To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to ruin. Source: opted

16. v. t. To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss. Source: opted

17. v. i. To come apart or divide into two or more pieces, usually with suddenness and violence; to part; to burst asunder. Source: opted

18. v. i. To open spontaneously, or by pressure from within, as a bubble, a tumor, a seed vessel, a bag. Source: opted

19. v. i. To burst forth; to make its way; to come to view; to appear; to dawn. Source: opted

20. v. i. To burst forth violently, as a storm. Source: opted

21. v. i. To open up; to be scattered; to be dissipated; as, the clouds are breaking. Source: opted

22. v. i. To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength. Source: opted

23. v. i. To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief; as, my heart is breaking. Source: opted

24. v. i. To fall in business; to become bankrupt. Source: opted

25. v. i. To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait; as, to break into a run or gallop. Source: opted

26. v. i. 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. Source: opted

27. v. i. To fall out; to terminate friendship. Source: opted

28. v. t. An opening made by fracture or disruption. Source: opted

29. v. t. An interruption of continuity; change of direction; as, a break in a wall; a break in the deck of a ship. Source: opted

30. v. t. A projection or recess from the face of a building. Source: opted

31. v. t. An opening or displacement in the circuit, interrupting the electrical current. Source: opted

32. v. t. An interruption; a pause; as, a break in friendship; a break in the conversation. Source: opted

33. v. t. An interruption in continuity in writing or printing, as where there is an omission, an unfilled line, etc. Source: opted

34. v. t. The first appearing, as of light in the morning; the dawn; as, the break of day; the break of dawn. Source: opted

35. v. t. A large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash top, with the driver's seat in front and the footman's behind. Source: opted

36. v. t. A device for checking motion, or for measuring friction. See Brake, n. 9 & 10. Source: opted

37. n. See Commutator. Source: opted

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