Tra từ break - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

break [break breaks broke breaking broken] verb, noun BrE [breɪk] NAmE [breɪk]
verb (brokeBrE [brəʊk] ; NAmE [broʊk] brokenBrE [ˈbrəʊkən] ; NAmE [ˈbroʊkən] )

IN PIECES
1. intransitive, transitive to be damaged and separated into two or more parts, as a result of force; to damage sth in this way
• All the windows broke with the force of the blast.
• The bag broke under the weight of the bottles inside it.
•~ in/into sth She dropped the plate and it broke into pieces.
•~ sth to break a cup/window
•She fell off a ladder and broke her arm.
•~ sth in/into sth He broke the chocolate in two.

STOP WORKING
2. intransitive, transitive to stop working as a result of being damaged; to damage sth and stop it from working
• My watch has broken.
•~ sth I think I've broken the washing machine.

SKIN
3. transitive ~ sth to cut the surface of the skin and make it ↑bleed
•The dog bit me but didn't break the skin.

LAW/PROMISE
4. transitive ~ sth to do sth that is against the law; to not keep a promise, etc
•to break the law/rules/conditions
•to break an agreement/a contract/a promise/your word
•to break an appointment (= not to come to it)
• He was breaking the speed limit (= travelling faster than the law allows).

STOP FOR SHORT TIME
5. intransitive, transitive to stop doing sth for a while, especially when it is time to eat or have a drink
•~ (for sth) Let's break for lunch.
•~ sth a broken night's sleep (= a night during which you often wake up)
• (especially BrE) We broke our journey in Oxford (= stopped in Oxford on the way to the place we were going to).

END STH
6. transitive ~ sth to interrupt sth so that it ends suddenly
•She broke the silence by coughing.
•A tree broke his fall (= stopped him as he was falling).
•The phone rang and broke my train of thought.
•Someone laughed suddenly and the spell was broken.
7. transitive ~ sth to make sth end by using force or strong action
•an attempt to break the year-long siege
•Management has not succeeded in breaking the strike.
8. transitive ~ sth to end a connection with sth or a relationship with sb
•He broke all ties with his parents.

ESCAPE
9. intransitive ~ free (from sb/sth) (of a person or an object)to get away from or out of a position in which they are stuck or trapped
•He finally managed to break free from his attacker.

DESTROY, BE DESTROYED
10. transitive, intransitive ~ (sb/sth) to destroy sth or make sb/sth weaker; to become weak or be destroyed
•to break sb's morale/resistance/resolve/spirit
•The government was determined to break the power of the trade unions.
•The scandal broke him (= ruined his reputation and destroyed his confidence).
•She broke under questioning (= was no longer able to bear it) and confessed to everything.

MAKE SB FEEL BAD
11. transitive ~ sb to make sb feel so sad, lonely, etc. that they cannot live a normal life
•The death of his wife broke him completely.

OF WEATHER
12. intransitive to change suddenly, usually after a period when it has been fine

SHOW OPENING
13. intransitive to show an opening
•The clouds broke and the sun came out.

OF DAY/DAWN/STORM
14. intransitive when the day or ↑dawn or a storm breaks, it begins
•Dawn was breaking when they finally left.
see also ↑daybreak

OF NEWS
15. intransitive if a piece of news breaks, it becomes known
•There was a public outcry when the scandal broke.
•breaking news (= news that is arriving about events that have just happened)
16. transitive ~ it/the news to sb to be the first to tell sb some bad news
•Who's going to break it to her?
•I'm sorry to be the one to break the news to you.

OF VOICE
17. intransitive if sb's voice breaks, it changes its tone because of emotion
•Her voice broke as she told us the dreadful news.
18. intransitive when a boy's voice breaks, it becomes permanently deeper at about the age of 13 or 14

A RECORD
19. transitive ~ a record to do sth better, faster, etc. than anyone has ever done it before
• She had broken the world 100 metres record.
• The movie broke all box-office records.

OF WAVES
20. intransitive when waves break, they fall and are dissolved into ↑foam, usually near land
•the sound of waves breaking on the beach
•The sea was breaking over the wrecked ship.

STH SECRET
21. transitive ~ a code/cipher to find the meaning of sth secret
•to break a code

MONEY
22. transitive ~ sth (especially NAmE)to change a ↑banknote for coins
•Can you break a twenty-dollar bill?
Rem: Idioms containing break are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example break sb's heart is at heart.
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Old English brecan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch breken and German brechen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin frangere ‘to break’.

Thesaurus:
break verb
1. I, T
•She fell and broke her arm.
crack • • fracture • • snap • • break (sth) up • • smash • • shatter • • splinter •
break/crack/fracture/smash/shatter/splinter a bone
crack/fracture/smash/shatter your skull
break/crack/smash a cup/mirror
a branch/rope/cable breaks/snaps
2. I, T
•My watch has broken.
break down • • go wrong • • fail • • crash • • go down •
a watch/video/DVD player breaks/goes wrong
a washing machine breaks down/goes wrong
a system fails/crashes/goes down
3. T
•Don't break the law by speeding.
formal breach • • infringe • • violate •
Opp: obey
break/breach/infringe a regulation
break/breach/violate a rule/law/treaty
break/violate a ceasefire/truce
4. T
•He wouldn't break a promise, would he?
go back on sth • • backtrack • |informal, especially journalism do a U-turn •
Opp: keep
break/go back on a a promise/your word/an agreement

Collocations:
Injuries
Being injured
have a fall/an injury
receive/suffer/sustain a serious injury/a hairline fracture/(especially BrE) whiplash/a gunshot wound
hurt/injure your ankle/back/leg
damage the brain/an ankle ligament/your liver/the optic nerve/the skin
pull/strain/tear a hamstring/ligament/muscle/tendon
sprain/twist your ankle/wrist
break a bone/your collarbone/your leg/three ribs
fracture/crack your skull
break/chip/knock out/lose a tooth
burst/perforate your eardrum
dislocate your finger/hip/jaw/shoulder
bruise/cut/graze your arm/knee/shoulder
burn/scald yourself/your tongue
bang/bump/hit/ (informal) bash your elbow/head/knee (on/against sth)
Treating injuries
treat sb for burns/a head injury/a stab wound
examine/clean/dress/bandage/treat a bullet wound
repair a damaged/torn ligament/tendon/cartilage
amputate/cut off an arm/a finger/a foot/a leg/a limb
put on/ (formal) apply/take off (especially NAmE) a Band-Aid™/(BrE) a plaster/a bandage
need/require/put in/ (especially BrE) have (out)/ (NAmE) get (out) stitches
put on/rub on/ (formal) apply cream/ointment/lotion
have/receive/undergo (BrE) physiotherapy/(NAmE) physical therapy

Language Bank:
illustrate
Referring to a chart, graph or table
▪ This bar chart illustrates ▪ how many journeys people made on public transport over a three-month period.
▪ This table compares ▪ bus, train, and taxi use between April and June.
▪ The results are shown ▪ in the chart below.
▪ In this pie chart, the survey results are broken down ▪ by age.
▪ This pie chart breaks down ▪ the survey results by age.
As can be seen from ▪ these results, younger people use buses more than older people.
According to ▪ these figures, bus travel accounts for 60% of public transport use.
From ▪ the data in the above graph, it is apparent that ▪ buses are the most widely used form of public transport.
Language Banks at ↑evidence, ↑fall, ↑increase, ↑proportion, ↑surprising

Vocabulary Building:
Words that mean ‘break’

All these verbs, except cut, can be used with or without an object.

Example Bank:
•He broke off abruptly when Jo walked in.
•She broke down in tears as she spoke to reporters.
•She broke off from the conversation to answer the telephone.
•She broke the bar in two and gave a piece to me.
•She broke the chocolate up into small pieces.
•The glass broke into hundreds of pieces.
•Their marriage had broken down irretrievably.
•He broke the chocolate in two and gave me half.
•He was breaking the speed limit.
•How did this dish get broken?
•I didn't mean to break the window.
•I don't know how to break it to him.
•I think I've broken the video.
•I've never broken my word; why should I do it now?
•Just break the news to her gently.
•Perhaps it is more courageous to break a promise if it means saving the economy.
•She dropped the plate and it broke into pieces.
•She had broken the conditions of her bail.
•She has already broken three appointments.
•Some companies have broken sanctions by supplying arms to the warring states.
•They insist that they have not broken any rules.
•Would you be willing to break the law to achieve your goal?
•to break an agreement/a contract
Idioms: ↑break of day ▪ ↑give me a break! ▪ ↑give somebody a break ▪ ↑make a break for for it
Derived: ↑break away ▪ ↑break down ▪ ↑break for something ▪ ↑break in ▪ ↑break into something ▪ ↑break off ▪ ↑break out ▪ ↑break out in something ▪ ↑break somebody in ▪ ↑break something down ▪ ↑break something off ▪ ↑break something up ▪ ↑break through ▪ ↑break through something ▪ ↑break up ▪ ↑break with something

noun

SHORT STOP/PAUSE
1. countable a short period of time when you stop what you are doing and rest, eat, etc
•a coffee/lunch/tea break
• Let's take a break.
•a break for lunch
• She worked all day without a break.
2. (also ˈbreak time) (both BrE) (NAmE re·cess)uncountable a period of time between lessons at school
•Come and see me at break.
3. countable a pause or period of time when sth stops before starting again
•a break in my daily routine
• She wanted to take a career break in order to have children.
4. countable a pause for advertisements in the middle of a television or radio programme
• More news after the break.

HOLIDAY/VACATION
5. countable a short holiday/vacation
• We had a weekend break in New York.
•a well-earned break

CHANGE IN SITUATION
6. singular the moment when a situation or a relationship that has existed for a time changes, ends or is interrupted
•~ (with sb/sth) He needed to make a complete break with the past.
•a break with tradition/convention (= a change from what is accepted, in sth such as art, behaviour, etc.)
•~ (in sth) a break in the weather (= a change from one type of weather to a different one)
•a break in diplomatic relations

OPENING/SPACE
7. countable ~ (in sth) a space or an opening between two or more things
•We could see the moon through a break in the clouds.
•Wait for a break in the traffic before crossing the road.

OPPORTUNITY
8. countable (informal)an opportunity to do sth, usually to get sth that you want or to achieve success
•I got my lucky break when I won a ‘Young Journalist of the Year’ competition.
•We've had a few bad breaks (= pieces of bad luck) along the way.
•If you just give me a break, you won't regret it.

OF BONE
9. countable a place where sth, especially a bone in your body, has broken
•The X-ray showed there was no break in his leg.

IN TENNIS
10. (also break of ˈserve)countable a win in a game in which your opponent is ↑serving
•It was her second break in the set.
•break point (= a situation in which, if you win the next point, you win the game)

IN BILLIARDS/SNOOKER
11. countable a series of successful shots by one player; the number of points scored in a series of successful shots
•He's put together a magnificent break.
•a 147 break (= the highest possible break in ↑snooker )
•The champion began with breaks of 74 and 58.
more at a clean break at ↑clean _adj.

Word Origin:
Old English brecan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch breken and German brechen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin frangere ‘to break’.

Thesaurus:
break noun
1. C
•Have a break for lunch.
rest • • breathing space • |informal breather • • time out • |formal respite • |BrE break time • |AmE law recess •
a break/a rest/time out/respite from sth
have/take a break/a rest/a breather/time out
give sb a break/rest/breathing space/respite
Break or recess? In British English break time or break U is a period of time between lessons at school. The American English word for this is recess.
2. C
•a break in your routine
lull • • gap • • interruption • • pause •
a/an break/lull/gap/interruption/pause in sth
after a/an break/lull/gap/interruption/pause
a short break/lull/gap/interruption/pause
a long break/gap/pause
Break, lull or gap? A break is often planned. A lull or gap usually just happens without planning
•There was a gap/lull in the conversation.
3. C
•a weekend break
trip • • excursion • • outing • |BrE holiday • • day out • |AmE vacation • |informal getaway •
a great/relaxing break/trip/holiday/day out/vacation/getaway
a summer/winter break/trip/holiday/vacation/getaway
take a break/trip/holiday/vacation
go on (a/an) trip/excursion/outing/day out/holiday/vacation

Synonyms:
rest
break • respite • time out • breathing space
These are all words for a short period of time spent relaxing.
rest • a period of relaxing, sleeping or doing nothing after a period of activity: ▪ We stopped for a well-earned rest.
break • a short period of time when you stop what you are doing and rest or eat: ▪ Let's ▪ take a break ▪.
In British English break is a period of time between lessons at school. The North American English word is recess.
respite • a short break from sth difficult or unpleasant: ▪ The drug brought a brief respite from the pain.
time out • (informal, especially NAmE) time for resting or relaxing away from your usual work or studies: ▪ Take time out to relax by the pool.
breathing space • a short rest in the middle of a period of mental or physical effort: ▪ This delay gives the party a breathing space in which to sort out its policies.
(a) rest/break/respite/time out from sth
to have/take (a) rest/break/time out
to give sb (a) rest/break/respite/breathing space

Example Bank:
•He's the director who gave her her first big break.
•His new work makes a break with the past.
•I always knew I would get my lucky break one day.
•I had a word with John during the break.
•I wanted to leave but was nervous about making the break.
•I won a weekend break in Paris.
•I'll see you at break.
•We have a 15-minute break in the morning.
•We worked all day without a break.
•We'll take a break now and resume in an hour.
•a break from caring for the children
•a break from tradition
•a break in the weather
•A lot of students go to Florida for Spring Break.
•Choose from our range of city breaks.
•Everyone needs a break, a change from day-to-day routine.
•Have you got any plans for the Easter break?
•I need a break from mental activity.
•I need a break in my daily routine.
•I'd like to take her on a mini— break.
•It's a great city for a weekend break.
•It's often difficult for talented newcomers to get the break they deserve.
•Let's take a break.
•Spend the weekend at a spa for a really relaxing break.
•The prize is a three-night break in Paris.
•The team have been taking a break in Spain.
•The track bends left through a break in the hedge.
•a coffee/lunch/tea break
•a commercial break

See also: ↑break time ▪ ↑recess