phrasal verb / idiom · academic
break new ground
UK/breɪk njuː ˈɡraʊnd/US/breɪk nuː ˈɡraʊnd/break·new·GROUND
to do something innovative or introduce new ideas or methods
Examples
“The scientist's study broke new ground in cancer research.”
“The company is breaking new ground by using sustainable materials.”
“Policy makers should encourage projects that break new ground.”
Band 8 sentence
“By combining disciplines, the research team broke new ground in understanding climate‑driven migration patterns.”
Collocations
- break new ground in research
- break new ground by doing something
- academics who break new ground
Word family
Common mistakes
break the ground→break new ground
make new ground→break new ground
Say it for a higher band
5do something new→6innovate→7+break new ground
Synonyms
innovate
pioneer
Easily confused
innovate
“The company constantly innovates to stay ahead of competitors.”
break ground
“They will break ground on the new library next month.”
Related words
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