phrasal verb · formal
break the silence
/breɪk ðə ˈsaɪləns/break the SI·lence
to speak or act after a period of silence, especially about something important or sensitive
Examples
“After weeks of rumours, the minister broke the silence and held a press conference.”
“Victims eventually broke the silence and described the abuse.”
“She broke the silence in the meeting and raised a difficult issue.”
Band 8 sentence
“Following persistent inquiries, the CEO finally broke the silence and addressed the allegations directly.”
Collocations
- break the long silence
- break the silence on (an issue)
Word family
Common mistakes
open the silence→break the silence
stop the silence→break the silence
Say it for a higher band
5open the silence→6speak out→7+break the silence
Synonyms
speak out
come forward
Easily confused
speak out
“After the scandal, several employees decided to speak out.”
come forward
“No witnesses have yet come forward with information.”
Related words
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