Break Idioms

(English Idioms & Sayings) BREAK IDIOMS
break a habit

- to end a habit
My sister worked very hard to break her habit of eating too much chocolate.

break a law

- to fail to obey a law
The young man broke the law when he drove his friend's car without a proper license.

break a record

- to set a new record that is better than an old one
The team tried hard to break a record during the last week of the season.

break camp

- to close down a campsite and move on
We decided to break camp and begin on our journey.

break down

- to lose control of one's emotions
The woman broke down while the lawyer questioned her at the trial.

break down

- to stop working because of mechanical failure
The car broke down on the lonely road and nobody knew about it.

break down (something)

- to analyze something
We must break down these figures for further study.

break down (something)

- to divide into parts, to separate into simpler substances
We tried to break down the sentence for further study.
The sugar began to break down soon after it was swallowed.

break even

- to have income equal to expenses
After only a few months our business began to break even and we started to make money.

break fresh/new ground

- to deal with something in a new way
The researchers were able to break fresh ground in their search for a cancer cure.

break ground for (something)

- to start digging the foundation for a building
The hospital will break ground for the new building soon.

break in (someone or something)

- to train someone to do a job, to make something the right size or feel comfortable by wearing or using it
It took me a long time to break in my new shoes.

break into tears

- to start crying suddenly
The woman broke into tears when she heard the bad news.

break loose (from someone or something)

- to get away from someone or something that is holding you
The horse broke loose from the rope and began running through the town.

break one's word

- to not keep one's promise
The young child promised his parents that he would not break his word.

break out in a cold sweat

- to perspire from fever or anxiety
I usually break out in a cold sweat when I have to make a speech.

break out in (something)

- to erupt in a rash or pimples
The girl always breaks out in a rash when she eats shrimp.

break out of (something)

- to escape from something
Several prisoners tried to break out of prison last month.

break (someone's) fall

- to lessen the impact of a falling person
The baby fell out of the window but thankfully the bushes broke her fall.

break (something) down

- to explain something to someone in simple terms
My teacher broke down the scientific theory so that the class could understand it easily.

break (something) to (someone)

- to tell bad news to someone
The man broke the bad news to his sister.

break the back of (something)

- to reduce the power of something
The company tried very hard to break the back of the union.

break the bank

- to win all the money at a casino gambling table
The man did not break the bank but he did win a lot of money.

break the ice

- to relax and start a conversation in a formal situation
Nobody was enjoying the party until the host was able to break the ice.

break the news (to someone)

- to tell someone some information first
He is planning to break the news about his transfer tomorrow.

break up

- to separate, to divide into groups or pieces, to put an end to something
Nobody wanted to break up their groups.
We usually break up into small groups during our class.

break up with (someone)

- to end a relationship with someone
My niece broke up with her boyfriend last June.

Posted by English through Idioms and Sayings