break
/bɹeɪk/
An instance of breaking something into two or more pieces.
The femur has a clean break and so should heal easily.
A physical space that opens up in something or between two things.
He waited minutes for a break in the traffic to cross the highway.
A rest or pause, usually from work.
Let’s take a five-minute break.
A time for students to talk or play.
A short holiday.
a weekend break on the Isle of Wight
A temporary split with a romantic partner.
I think we need a break.
An interval or intermission between two parts of a performance, for example a theatre show, broadcast, or sports game.
A significant change in circumstance, attitude, perception, or focus of attention.
big break
The beginning (of the morning).
at the break of day
An act of escaping.
It was a clean break.
The separation between lines, paragraphs or pages of a written text.
A keystroke or other signal that causes a program to terminate or suspend execution.
A point or condition in a program at which operation may be suspended during debugging so that the state of the program at that point can be investigated. A breakpoint.
A change, particularly the end of a spell of persistent good or bad weather.
:
A large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash top, with the driver's seat in front and the footman's behind.
(equitation) A sharp bit or snaffle.
A short section of music, often between verses, in which some performers stop while others continue.
The fiddle break was amazing; it was a pity the singer came back in on the wrong note.
The point in the musical scale at which a woodwind instrument is designed to overblow, that is, to move from its lower to its upper register.
Crossing the break smoothly is one of the first lessons the young clarinettist needs to master.
Usu. plural An area along a river that features steep banks, bluffs, or gorges (e.g., Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, US).