phrasal verb / idiom · formal
break ranks
/breɪk ræŋks/RANKS
to dissent from a group's position or to act against the group’s decision
Examples
“Several MPs broke ranks and voted against the bill.”
“When one executive broke ranks, the company reconsidered the policy.”
“It's rare for team members to break ranks in public.”
Band 8 sentence
“When senior scientists publicly broke ranks on the report, the government had to commission a new review.”
Collocations
- break ranks with
- break ranks over
Word family
Common mistakes
break the ranks→break ranks
break ranks (meaning: break the queue)→break ranks (meaning: dissent)
Say it for a higher band
5disagree with the group→6go against the group→7+break ranks
Synonyms
dissent
go against the group
Easily confused
break ranks vs toe the line
“Despite pressure, she refused to toe the line and quietly broke ranks.”
Related words
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