break …

20 words

1. 1

   break the bankidiom / phrasal phrase/breɪk ðə bæŋk/

   to cost a lot of money; to use up someone’s money or funds

   “I love that designer bag but it would break the bank to buy it now.”

2. 2

   break the newsphrasal verb / idiom/breɪk ðə njuːz/

   to tell someone (often bad) information that they did not know before

   “I had to break the news to her that the exam was postponed.”

3. 3

   break withphrasal verb/ˈbreɪk wɪð/

   to end a relationship or to abandon a custom, practice, or association.

   “Many countries had to break with colonial policies to develop independent systems.”

4. 4

   break the rulesphrasal verb/breɪk ðə ˈruːlz/

   to do something that is not allowed according to the rules

   “If you break the rules, you will be punished.”

5. 5

   break apartphrasal verb/ˈbreɪk əˌpɑːt/

   to fall into pieces physically; or (figuratively) to be destroyed emotionally or cause a family/organization to split.

   “The old bridge began to break apart after years of neglect.”

6. 6

   break one's backidiom / phrasal verb/breɪk wʌnz bæk/

   to work extremely hard (often physically or with great effort).

   “My parents broke their backs to pay for my education.”

7. 7

   break a promisephrasal verb/breɪk ə ˈprɒmɪs/

   to fail to do something that you promised to do

   “He apologised for breaking his promise to visit.”

8. 8

   break the fallphrasal verb / collocation/breɪk ðə fɔːl/

   to prevent someone from being hurt by stopping or lessening the effect of a fall; figuratively, to reduce the negative impact of something

   “He put out his hand to break the fall.”

9. 9

   break someone's heartidiom / phrasal expression/breɪk ˈsʌmwʌnz hɑːt/

   to make someone feel very sad, especially by ending a romantic relationship or disappointing them deeply

   “It broke her heart when he left without saying goodbye.”

10. 10

    break the silencephrasal verb/breɪk ðə ˈsaɪləns/

    to speak or act after a period of silence, especially about something important or sensitive

    “After weeks of rumours, the minister broke the silence and held a press conference.”

11. 11

    break faith withphrasal verb (formal)/breɪk feɪθ wɪð/

    to betray the trust of someone or abandon a previously held support or principle.

    “Politicians who break faith with their voters risk losing credibility.”

12. 12

    break loosephrasal verb/ˈbreɪk ˈluːs/

    to escape from being controlled or tied up; to get free; can also mean to erupt (e.g., violence breaking loose).

    “The horse broke loose from its tether and ran into the field.”

13. 13

    break ranksphrasal verb / idiom/breɪk ræŋks/

    to dissent from a group's position or to act against the group’s decision

    “Several MPs broke ranks and voted against the bill.”

14. 14

    break the deadlockphrasal verb/breɪk ðə ˈdɛdlɒk/

    to bring an end to a situation in which no progress can be made, especially in negotiations

    “The mediator helped break the deadlock between the two sides.”

15. 15

    break ground onphrasal verb/breɪk ˈɡraʊnd ɒn/

    to start building something, or to start a significant project

    “City officials broke ground on the new hospital yesterday.”

16. 16

    break coverphrasal verb/breɪk ˈkʌvər/

    to come out of hiding or to reveal oneself; to appear publicly after hiding.

    “The whistle‑blower finally broke cover and gave an interview.”

17. 17

    break the back ofidiom / phrasal phrase/breɪk ðə bæk əv/

    to complete or overcome the hardest part of something, making the rest easier

    “We broke the back of the project in the first two weeks; the rest was routine.”

18. 18

    break badphrasal verb / informal idiom/breɪk bæd/

    to start behaving in a dangerous or criminal way; to turn to wrongdoing (informal).

    “After losing his job he began to break bad and got involved with the wrong crowd.”

19. 19

    break campphrasal verb/breɪk kæmp/

    to pack up and dismantle a camp in order to move on.

    “They broke camp at sunrise and continued their trek.”

20. 20

    break breadidiom / phrasal phrase/breɪk brɛd/

    to share a meal with someone, often to show friendship or reconciliation

    “They broke bread together after years of disagreement.”