phrasal verb · neutral
break open
UK/breɪk ˈəʊpən/US/breɪk ˈoʊpən/break·OPEN
to force something that is closed to open, or to cause a case or situation to be revealed
Examples
“They had to break open the locked trunk to get the emergency kit.”
“A leak finally broke the story open and the scandal came to light.”
“The police broke open the safe during the raid.”
Band 8 sentence
“During the investigation a new witness statement helped to break open the long-stalled inquiry.”
Collocations
- break open a safe/trunk
- break a story open
Word family
Common mistakes
He break open the box with a hammer.→He broke open the box with a hammer.
They opened break the trunk.→They broke open the trunk.
Say it for a higher band
5open→6force open→7+break open
Synonyms
pry open
force open
Easily confused
pry open
“They pried open the crate with a crowbar.”
force open
“Firefighters forced open the jammed door.”
Related words
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In break …
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