break in English: To make something come apart into pieces, or to stop it working. (verb)

Translation

To make something come apart into pieces, or to stop it working.

Word origin

From Old English brecan, meaning to break.

Origin: Old English
Root: brecan

Grammar

Verb typeirregular (break, breaks, broke, broken)

Irregular verb. A full conjugation table for irregular verbs is coming soon. For now, use a reference like Wordreference or RAE.

Examples

, .

"Break" means to make something come apart into pieces.

.

"Breaks" is the form used with he, she, or it.

.

"Broke" is the past form of "break".

To break is to make something come apart into pieces, or to stop it working. The past form is "broke".

Related words

fix

To mend something that is broken so it works again.

drop

To let something fall from your hand to the ground.

cut

To split or open something using a knife or other sharp tool.

glass

A cup with no handle, made of a hard, clear material, that you drink from.

fall

To move down quickly towards the ground.

bust

To break something, or, in informal English, for the police to catch someone.

crush

To press something so hard that it breaks or loses its shape.

explosion

A sudden, loud burst that throws fire and broken pieces into the air, as when a bomb goes off.

Where this fits

The 1,000 most common English words

Where this word sits in the core vocabulary, and what to learn around it.

English vocabulary by CEFR level

How many words each level actually needs, with real counts.

Used in

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