INDEX:
1. to break something into pieces
2. to break into pieces
3. to break something into two pieces
4. to break into two pieces
5. to break something into a lot of pieces
6. to break into a lot of pieces
7. to break a piece from the main part of something
8. to break, so that one piece becomes separated from the main part
9. to break a bone in your body
10. easily broken
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ BROKEN/NOT BROKEN
↑ DAMAGE
↑ TEAR
↑ DESTROY
↑ SQUASH
↑ REPAIR
↑ ACCIDENT
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1. to break something into pieces
▷ break /breɪk/ [transitive verb]
to break something, either accidentally or deliberately :
▪ She fell off her bike and broke her glasses.
▪ If you break it you’ll have to pay for it out of your allowance.
▪ I broke one of her platters once, and I swear she’s never forgiven me.
▪ He once broke a window of his grandfather’s greenhouse with a football.
▷ bust /bʌst/ [transitive verb] spoken informal
to break something :
▪ The ball hit him in the face and bust his glasses.
▪ He busted the side window with a bat.
bust something up/bust up something
▪ Dean got really drunk and started busting up the bar.
bust something down/bust down something
▪ The police had to bust down the door.
▷ crack /kræk/ [transitive verb]
to break or damage something so that cracks appear in its surface :
▪ A stone hit the windshield and cracked it.
▪ I cracked one of the wine glasses when I was washing it.
▪ The earthquake cracked walls and driveways and knocked out electricity and communications.
2. to break into pieces
▷ break /breɪk/ [intransitive verb]
▪ She dropped a plate and it broke.
▪ My watchband has broken.
▪ The ice broke and they both fell through.
▪ The cam belt broke and ruined the engine.
▷ get broken /get ˈbrəʊkən/ [verb phrase]
if something gets broken, someone breaks it accidentally :
▪ If you leave your toys on the floor, they’ll get broken.
▪ A few of the cups got broken while we were moving house.
▪ When her grandchildren visit, she puts away anything she doesn’t want to get broken.
▷ crack /kræk/ [intransitive verb]
if something cracks, it breaks slightly so that lines appear in its surface :
▪ The bell cracked after many years of use.
▪ A few windows cracked from the heat during the fire.
▪ The pipeline had cracked a long time before the oil spill occurred.
crack [countable noun]
▪ There are a few cracks in the plaster.
▷ give way /ˌgɪv ˈweɪ/ [verb phrase]
if something such as a floor, wall, or bridge gives way, it finally breaks because there is a lot of pressure or weight on it :
▪ He was changing a light bulb when the ladder gave way.
▪ The crowd surged forward and the fence gave way.
▪ The whole side of the hill gave way after a week of heavy rain.
▷ bust /bʌst/ [intransitive verb] informal
if something busts, it breaks :
▪ The toy is made of a balloon in a cloth sack that can be hit without busting.
bust open
break in such a way that what is inside can come out
▪ His suitcase busted open, and everything went all over the floor in the hotel lobby.
3. to break something into two pieces
▷ break something in two/in half /ˌbreɪk something ɪn ˈtuː, ɪn ˈhɑːfǁ -ˈhæf/ [verb phrase]
to break something into two, fairly equal pieces :
▪ The explosion broke the ship in two.
▪ David broke the chocolate bar in half and gave a piece to Sue.
▷ snap /snæp/ [transitive verb]
to break something, usually a long thin object, so that it makes a sudden, short loud noise :
▪ He hit a rock and snapped the truck’s axle.
▪ High winds snapped power lines in the city, leaving more than 9000 people without power.
snap something in two/in half
▪ He accidentally snapped his putter in half during one tournament.
snap off
▪ The tip of the tree snapped off when it fell.
▷ split /splɪt/ [transitive verb]
to break something such as wood into two parts along a straight line :
▪ She learned to split logs and stack a woodpile.
split something in two/in half
▪ Split the leek in half lengthwise, and cut it into 1/4-inch pieces.
4. to break into two pieces
▷ break in two/in half /ˌbreɪk ɪn ˈtuː, ɪn ˈhɑːfǁ-ˈhæf/ [verb phrase]
▪ The ship broke in two when it ran aground, and 900 tons of fuel oil leaked out.
▪ When I pulled at the board, it broke in two and fell down.
▷ snap /snæp/ [intransitive verb]
if something snaps, especially something long and thin, it breaks into two pieces making a short loud noise :
▪ A twig snapped under his foot.
▪ Power lines snapped in the high winds.
▪ One of the strings on my guitar snapped when I was tuning it.
snap off
▪ The tip of the Christmas tree snapped off when it fell.
▷ split /splɪt/ [intransitive verb]
if wood, bone etc splits, it breaks into two parts along a straight line :
▪ The window frames are old and the wood is starting to split.
▪ When it crashed, the plane’s fuselage split behind the wings.
split in two/half
▪ The back of the chair had split in two.
split open
split so that there is a hole
▪ A metal tube split open in the steam generator of the nuclear power plant.
5. to break something into a lot of pieces
▷ smash /smæʃ/ [transitive verb]
to break something into a lot of small pieces, especially in a violent way, by dropping, throwing, or hitting it :
▪ Firefighters smashed a bedroom window and rescued a two-year-old girl.
▪ Her camera was smashed by soldiers when she tried to take photographs.
smash something to pieces/to bits
▪ The boat hit the rocks and was smashed to pieces by the waves.
▷ shatter /ˈʃætəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to break something, especially glass, into a lot of very small pieces :
▪ The explosion shattered office windows 500 metres away.
▪ Protesters shattered a glass door and tossed red dye around the entrance.
▷ crumble /ˈkrʌmb ə l/ [transitive verb]
to break something, especially food, into very small pieces :
▪ Beat the eggs, crumble the cheese, and mix together.
▪ Mrs. Suggs crumbled the bread into hot milk.
6. to break into a lot of pieces
▷ break into pieces/bits /ˌbreɪk ɪntə ˈpiːsə̇z, ˈbɪts/ [verb phrase]
▪ One of the mugs rolled off the table and broke into bits on the stone floor.
▪ Investigators are not sure what caused the plane to break into pieces and plunge into the ocean.
▷ break up /ˌbreɪk ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a large object breaks up, it breaks into a lot of pieces especially as a result of natural forces, or serious damage :
▪ The ice breaks up quicker near the shore.
▪ Two of the missiles apparently broke up in flight.
▪ The comet was formed when a planet broke up at some time in the distant past.
▷ fall to bits/pieces British go to pieces American /ˌfɔːl tə ˈbɪts, ˈpiːsə̇z, ˌgəʊ tə ˈpiːsə̇z/ [verb phrase]
to break into a lot of small pieces, especially because of being weak, old, or badly made :
▪ The book had been read again and again, until it finally fell to pieces.
▪ I picked the bag up, and it went to pieces in my hands.
▪ The trunk was full of old dresses, some of which were falling to pieces.
▷ fall apart/come apart /ˌfɔːl əˈpɑːʳt, ˌkʌm əˈpɑːʳt/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to break easily into pieces, especially because of being badly made or very old :
▪ I only bought these shoes last week, and they’re falling apart already.
▪ His jacket started coming apart at the seams.
▷ disintegrate /dɪsˈɪntɪgreɪt, dɪsˈɪntəgreɪt/ [intransitive verb]
if something disintegrates, it breaks into a lot of small pieces so that it is completely destroyed or so that it completely changes its form :
▪ A 50-foot section of the roadway began to disintegrate after only a few cars had passed over it.
▪ The plane disintegrated in midair.
▪ The mummified man’s clothes had disintegrated almost completely, but appeared to be mainly of leather and fur.
▷ shatter /ˈʃætəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
if something, especially glass, shatters, it breaks suddenly into a lot of very small pieces because it has been dropped or hit :
▪ The glass had shattered, but the photograph itself was undamaged.
▪ Storefront windows shattered and roofs blew off during the hurricane.
▪ Don’t try to drive nails into the bricks, they may shatter.
shattered [adjective only before noun]
▪ There was shattered glass all over the floor.
▷ smash /smæʃ/ [intransitive verb]
to noisily break into pieces as a result of being dropped or hit :
▪ I heard something smash. What broke?
smash to pieces/bits
▪ The bottle rolled off the table and smashed to pieces on the floor.
▷ splinter /ˈsplɪntəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
if something such as wood splinters, it breaks into thin, sharp pieces :
▪ These types of wood splinter more easily than redwood or cedar.
▪ The coating helps prevent the glass from splintering if it is hit by a rock while you are driving.
splintered [adjective]
▪ the splintered remains of an old fence
▷ crumble /ˈkrʌmb ə l/ [intransitive verb]
to break easily into a powder or into small pieces, especially as a result of being old or dry :
▪ The autumn leaves crumbled in my fingers.
▪ Some of the tiles are crumbling around the edges.
crumbling [adjective]
▪ Nestling amongst the magnificent hills were the crumbling ruins of an old monastery.
▷ burst /bɜːʳst/ [intransitive verb]
if something such as a tyre or a pipe bursts, the force of the air, water etc inside makes it break into many pieces :
▪ The Concorde disaster was caused by a tyre bursting.
▪ Thousands of gallons of oil flowed into the river when an oil pipeline burst.
burst [adjective only before noun]
▪ The flood was caused by a burst pipe.
▷ blow /bləʊ/ [intransitive verb] especially American
if a tyre blows, it breaks open suddenly and all the air comes out of it :
▪ One of the tires blew and they skidded into the center divider.
7. to break a piece from the main part of something
▷ break off /ˌbreɪk ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to break off a piece of something :
break off something
▪ She broke off a bit of bread and dipped it in the soup.
break something off
▪ When the dough is chilled, break pieces of the dough off with your fingers, and roll into small balls.
break something off something
▪ Break a leaf off the bush, rub it between your fingers, and smell the lemony scent.
▷ chip /tʃɪp/ [transitive verb]
to accidentally break off a small piece from the edge of something, such as a cup, plate, or piece of wood :
▪ He fell off his bike and chipped his front tooth.
▪ If you don’t load the dishwasher right, it might chip some of the cups.
8. to break, so that one piece becomes separated from the main part
▷ break off /ˌbreɪk ˈɒf/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a part of something breaks off, it breaks and becomes separated from the main part of it :
▪ I gave it a tug and the zipper broke off.
▪ A military cargo plane made an emergency landing when one of the propellers broke off.
▪ Icebergs break off from the ice sheets and float southwards.
▷ come off /ˌkʌm ˈɒf/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
if part of something comes off it becomes separated from the main part of it because it is not fastened to it firmly enough :
▪ Can you fix the door? The handle’s come off.
come off something
▪ A wheel had come off a car, and rolled to the side of the road.
▷ come away /ˌkʌm əˈweɪ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to easily become separated from a surface when touched, pulled etc :
▪ The switch was attached to the plate and came away with it when I pulled.
come away from
▪ Mix until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl.
come away in somebody’s hand
become separated very easily or without you realising it
▪ Ralph pulled, and the lock came away in his hand.
9. to break a bone in your body
▷ break /breɪk/ [transitive verb]
▪ I broke my leg last time I went skiing.
▪ She slipped on the floor, it’d just been washed, and broke her hip.
▪ They thought he’d broken his back, but the X-ray showed it was okay.
▷ crack /kræk/ [transitive verb]
to partly break a bone :
▪ She slipped and cracked a rib.
▪ Freeman cracked his skull in the accident.
crack [countable noun]
▪ The X-ray showed several cracks in the bone of her left leg.
▷ fracture /ˈfræktʃəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to break or partly break a bone in your body - used especially by doctors :
▪ My grandmother fell down the stairs and fractured her ankle.
▪ He fractured both his legs in the car accident.
fracture [countable noun]
▪ More elderly women than men suffer hip fractures.
fractured [adjective only before noun]
▪ He had a fractured skull.
▷ shatter /ˈʃætəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to break a bone in someone’s body into a lot of small pieces, especially by shooting or hitting them :
▪ The nine-year-old boy was hit by a car and shattered his skull on the pavement.
▪ The bullet shattered a bone in her left forearm.
▷ bust /bʌst/ [transitive verb] especially American, informal
to break one of the bones in your body :
▪ She fell and busted her knee.
10. easily broken
▷ breakable /ˈbreɪkəb ə l/ [adjective]
objects that are breakable break easily because they are made of glass or another thin, hard material, and must be handled carefully :
▪ Put breakable objects out of the reach of children.
▪ Many laboratories spend thousands of dollars a year on breakable glass equipment.
▷ fragile /ˈfrædʒaɪlǁ-dʒ ə l/ [adjective]
not strong and therefore very easily broken or damaged :
▪ The parcel was marked FRAGILE -- HANDLE WITH CARE.
▪ The museum sends fragile porcelain objects to specialists to be restored.
▷ delicate /ˈdelɪkɪt, ˈdelɪkət/ [adjective]
something that is delicate is easily broken or damaged, especially because it is made of very thin material, and is attractive to look at :
▪ The tea was served in delicate china cups.
▪ a delicate gold necklace
▷ brittle /ˈbrɪtl/ [adjective]
hard and easily broken, especially because of being old and dry :
▪ Perming makes your hair more brittle.
▪ The building’s electrical wiring was worn and brittle, causing a fire hazard.
▷ crisp /krɪsp/ [adjective]
something that is crisp is hard, thin, and breaks easily when you press on it :
▪ The crisp, dry leaves rustled underneath her feet.
▪ Brush the tops of the loaves with cold water, which helps form the crisp crust for which French bread is famous.