BREAK
What does "BREAK" mean?
To separate into pieces by force, or to stop something from working.
Meanings
- To cause something to separate into pieces, usually suddenly or violently. He dropped the glass and it broke on the tile.
- To fail to obey or keep something, such as a rule or promise. She broke her promise to call every night.
- A short pause or rest from activity. Let's take a ten-minute break.
- A fortunate opportunity or stroke of luck. Landing that role was her big break. informal
- Of news, to become known or to be made public. The story broke just after midnight.
Did you know?
- English 'break' and Latin 'frangere' (which gives us 'fracture' and 'fragile') trace back to the same ancient root *bhreg- - they are long-lost cousins.
Word origin
From Old English 'brecan', from a Proto-Germanic root 'brekan', cognate with Latin 'frangere' (to break), the source of 'fracture' and 'fragment'.
Remember it
BREAK has BREA(d) plus K: drop the loaf and it might just break.
A little poem
A wave will break the way a promise can-
loud at the crest, then quiet on the sand;
what shatters is sometimes what frees the man.
tercet
Wordplay
- I gave my watch a coffee break and now it won't work - turns out it needed to break, not relax.
What it teaches
Some things break so they can be rebuilt better; not every fracture is a loss.
Quick facts
What does BREAK mean?
To separate into pieces by force, or to stop something from working.
Is BREAK a valid word?
Yes — BREAK is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is BREAK?
BREAK has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does BREAK come from?
From Old English 'brecan', from a Proto-Germanic root 'brekan', cognate with Latin 'frangere' (to break), the source of 'fracture' and 'fragment'.
What can BREAK teach us?
Some things break so they can be rebuilt better; not every fracture is a loss.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.