I. ˈbrāk verb
( broke ˈbrōk ; or archaic brake ˈbrāk ; or chiefly Scottish brack ˈbrak ; or Scottish brak “ ; bro·ken ˈbrōkən sometimes -k ə ŋ ; or nonstandard broke ; breaking ; breaks )
Etymology: Middle English breken, from Old English brecan; akin to Old High German brehhan to break, Gothic brikan, Latin frangere to break, Sanskrit giri bhraj breaking forth from mountains
transitive verb
1.
a. : to split into pieces or smash into parts or fragments typically by a blow or stress and with suddenness or violence
b. : to pull, rend, tear, thrust, or shear apart typically forcefully or roughly and often by accident
c. now dialect England : tear , rip
break cloth
break paper
dont't break your jacket on the fence
d. : to snap into pieces : fracture
break a bone
: fracture the bone of (a bodily part)
the blow broke his arm
: suffer fracture of a bone in
he broke his leg in the wreck
: dislocate
breaking his neck
e. : to fracture the limbs of in torture
a captive broken on the wheel
broadly : maim , mutilate
the broken bodies of the dead soldiers
f.
(1) : cut , rupture
break the skin
(2) : to cut or bruise the skin of (the head)
blacked eyes and broken heads were common in such fights
g. : to cut up : tear to pieces : carve , rend — usually used with up
hunters breaking up the deer
hounds breaking up a fox
h. : to cut into and turn over the surface of : plow
break the soil
grasslands have been broken and planted to wheat — American Guide Series: Washington
i. : to rupture the surface of and permit flowing out or effusing
break an artery
: undergo such a rupture of
he broke several veins during his seizure
j.
(1) : to smash or tear open
(2) : to lay open and distribute or sort the contents of : open
(3) : to uncover for easy collecting
breaking ore
(4) : to remove and pry apart caked tobacco from (a hogshead) for inspection as to merchantable quality
2.
a. : to violate or transgress by failure to follow, observe, or act in accordance with : fail to keep
breaking the law
breaking a contract
breaking his promise
every great novel has broken many conventions — Ellen Glasgow
b. : to invalidate (a will) by action at law
3.
a. : to force entry into : enter by force or violence : open for illegal entry — archaic except in law
accused of attempting to break a house
b. : to burst and usually to force a way through
breaking the barriers in his way
c. : to make one's escape by force from : escape by or as if by severing or bursting barriers that confine
breaking jail
d. : to make or effect by or as if by piercing, cutting, forcing, or pressing through
breaking a trail
breaking out a ski area
breaking a hole in the ice
breaking open the snow-clogged roads
breaking the packet open
e. : penetrate , pierce
4.
a. : to separate or shear by or as if by tearing or rending — often used with off
a branch broken off the tree
b. : to make ineffective as a binding force : loosen , sunder
breaking his chains
: effect release or escape from
break a wrestling hold
c. cricket : to strike (a wicket) and dislodge one or both bails
d. : to subject to breaking
certain consonant combinations may break a preceding vowel
e. : pick
break pineapples
break oranges
f. : to soften the fibers of (a skin) by scraping or pounding
5.
a. : to disrupt or split with ensuing dispersal
a quarrel that broke the party apart
: disrupt the order or compactness of
breaking ranks
b. : to end, close, or destroy by or as if by dispersing — often used with up
break up the counterfeiting ring
break up our partnership
c. archaic : dissolve , disband
d. : to disrupt by death, divorce, or conflict
children from broken homes
— often used with up
infidelities that broke up their marriage
e. : to prevent effective operation or performance of by disruptive action
breaking up bootlegging operations
breaking up a forward pass play
f. : to give or receive money units of smaller denomination in exchange for
breaking a 10-dollar bill
6.
a. : to defeat utterly and end as an effective force : overcome the resistance or strength of : smash , demolish , destroy
he broke the enemy by … starvation, attrition, and a slow, deadly scientific envelopment — John Buchan
— sometimes used with down
b. : to crush the spirit of : sap (one's) will to resist, withstand, or persevere : afflict with so much distress that hope, resistance, morale, or self-control is weakened : cause (one) to yield — often used with down
the brutal method finally broke the prisoner so that he confessed
break down a prisoner by cross-examination
sometimes : to agitate and depress — often used with up
quite broken up by his friend's death
c. : to make tractable or submissive: as
(1) : to train (an animal) to adjust to the service or convenience of man
bought a number of horses and broke them to saddle
(2) : inure , accustom
d. : to exhaust in health, strength, energy, or capacity : reduce to weakness or ineptness : wear out : weary — often used with down
completely broken by his struggle for power
his heavy duties eventually broke him down
e. : to ruin financially : bankrupt : leave virtually without assets : exhaust the funds of
breaking his competitors by unfair practices
breaking the bank in the gambling house
f. : to reduce in rank : strip of office or privilege : cashier , dismiss
broken from sergeant to private
g. : to shatter (something that is advancing or thrusting) by firm resistance : turn aside the force or intensity of
the jetty breaking the waves
a stand of trees breaking the wind
h. : to separate the fibers from the woody core of (flax or hemp) after retting especially by means of fluted rollers preparatory to scutching
i. : to cause failure and discontinuance of (a strike) by measures outside bargaining processes
j. : to better (a score, standard, or record)
golfers trying to break 90
breaking the mark for innings pitched
k. : to win against (an opponent's service) in a racket game
l. : to deprive of all chance or hope of success : ruin the standing or prospects of
she could make or break the ambitious climber — American Guide Series: Rhode Island
m. : to demonstrate the falsity or lack of credibility of : disprove — often used with down
breaking an alibi
breaking down a witness
n. : to cause a sharp reduction of : reduce the price of sharply
news that will break many oil stocks
7.
a. : to stop, cut short, or bring to an end often suddenly : disturb the continuance of : halt , stop — often used with off, sometimes with up
the home run that breaks the tie
breaking the deadlock by decisive action
breaking off what he was saying
breaking off relations with a hostile country
b. : to cease the regular continuity of : interrupt , suspend
breaking their journey
showers breaking the heat wave
breaking the beam of light
— sometimes used with up
c. : to open and thus bring about suspension of operation
breaking an electric circuit
d. : to destroy unity or completeness of
this dinner set is broken; two cups are missing
to have a drink and break the quart
e.
(1) : to change the appearance of uniformity of : bring variety or change into : serve to change the impression of regular continuity in
plateau lands broken by gullies and ravines
a level roof broken by a dormer
(2) : to cause lack of regular continuity in
breaking joints in Flemish bond
f. : to split the surface of
flying fish breaking the water
g.
(1) : to cause to discontinue indulgence in a habit — used with of
his wife tried to break him of swearing
(2) : discontinue — often used with off
breaking a habit
breaking off smoking
h. : to stop (a telegraph operator) in order to verify matter sent
i.
(1) : to continue (a story) on a page later than and usually not consecutive with the starting page
(2) : to interrupt the continuity of (type or print or matter in type or print) at the end of a line for continuation in the next line
8.
a. archaic : to reveal or impart a confidence harbored in or at
b. : to make known sometimes with caution and after hesitation : tell , impart , reveal
break the news of his death to her
c. : to utter or crack (a jest)
break no jests that are sharp and biting — George Washington
d. : to make public or available for publication ; often : to publicize widely or permit wide publicity of sometimes after a period of withholding
the admiralty office broke the news of the loss
e. : to initiate (a campaign or course of action) often with fanfare and publicity
big companies breaking a sales campaign
f. : to find an explanation or solution for : solve , unravel
the detective who broke the case
g.
(1) : to discover the essentials of (a code or cipher system) — often used with down
(2) : to solve (an encrypted message) without full knowledge of the keys
(3) : decrypt
break a message
9.
a. : to split into smaller units, parts, or processes : divide — usually used with up or down
broken into countless small bands — R.A.Billington
the primary colors are broken up into thousands of colored bands and lines — Waldemar Kaempffert
b. : to divide (a musical chord) by sounding the component tones separately (as in an arpeggio)
c. : to separate (a color) in painting into component parts and to lay these side by side on the canvas instead of mixing them on the palette so that the observer's eye recomposes the color — compare divisionism , pointillism
d. : to bunch (cured tobacco leaves) in the center and tear a string away from a lath preparatory to tying into a hand
e. : to separate (an emulsion) permanently into components
cream is broken by churning
f. : to split (grain) into flour and bran in milling
10. : to alter the direction or course of : bring about such alteration in: as
a. : to impart break to (a cricket ball) in bowling
b. : to make (a pitched or thrown baseball) curve, drop, or rise sharply
11.
a. : to open or unfold at a seam, bend, groove, or joint ; sometimes : to fold or bend at a seam or joint
b. : to open the action of (certain firearms)
broke the shotgun and loaded both barrels
c. : to make with joints for folding
an airplane with broken wings
12. : to alter the tone of (a color) by an admixture of another color or shade
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to depart or escape usually with sudden forceful effort and from restraint or constraint : burst free from ties or barriers
breaking away from home ties
breaking out of jail
b. : to come forth or move out or forward usually forcefully or abruptly as if bursting through restraints or barriers
break through the crowd
dogs broke out of the trees into the open
c. : to develop or be formed or uttered with or as if with suddenness and force — often used with out or forth
a wail broke from the child's lips
laughter broke out in the audience
spots broke out on the child's face
the sunlight broke forth in splendor
d. : to come into being by or as if by bursting forth — often used with forth or out
as day was breaking
the buds broke forth in red
trouble broke out between the two countries
fire broke out in the old warehouse
yellow fever broke out in the city
e. : to start an action, assume a role, take on a condition, or give vent to expression with abruptness — usually used with out or into
breaking into a roar of laughter
breaking out in tears
breaking into revolt
f. : to emerge from the surface of the water : leap up from the water
the fish were breaking
g.
(1) : to start usually abruptly as if overcoming restraint — usually used with out
rioting broke out
rifle fire broke out at dawn
when the war finally broke
(2) : to come to pass : occur
h.
(1) : to become public or available for publication
the disaster story broke at 10 o'clock
(2) : to attain to wide publicity : become publicly known
when the scandal broke
i. : to become detached or disengaged and usually displaced by or as if by the rending or severing of bonds
the boat broke from its mooring
deck cargo broke loose in the storm
also : to dissociate (from a group)
splinter factions breaking from the political party
: take a different course : depart — often used with away
breaking away from his former leader
breaking away from old tradition
j. : to leave cover : dash from cover
when the stag broke
k.
(1) : to make a sudden dash
infantrymen breaking for cover
a base runner breaking for home
: pick up speed quickly
when a basketball player breaks for the basket
(2) : to leave a starting mark, gate, or barrier
a horse slow at breaking
also : to start before the proper signal has been given in a sports event
(3) of a hunting dog : to leave a point and move quickly to retrieve
trained to break at gunshot
l.
(1) : to separate after a clinch in boxing or a hold in wrestling especially when so ordered by the referee — often used with away
(2) : to separate as if from such a clinch or hold — often used with away
m. chiefly Midland : to let out : come to an end : dismiss
what time does church break
2.
a. : to come apart or split into pieces typically with sudden violence and with damage or ruin : burst , shatter
the cup broke when it fell on the floor
b. : to open with or as if with tearing, splitting, or rupturing
the bag broke and the sugar spilled
c. : to open spontaneously or by pressure from within (as of a boil or a bubble)
d. of a wave : to curl over and fall apart in surf or foam : be shattered and lose driving force
e. : to crack without complete separation into parts
the windshield broke but did not shatter
f.
(1) : to diminish markedly in force or intensity : abate and fade away
when the frost breaks
after an hour of heavy rain the storm broke
(2) dialect : to become fair : clear
when the weather breaks
g. : to be driven back in retreat : be dispersed in disorder : give way in disorderly retreat
the volunteer units broke when the enemy charged
h.
(1) : to fail in health or strength : suffer loss of strength, vitality, keenness, or control — often used with down
he broke down under the strain of his position
(2) : to suffer complete or marked loss of resistance, composure, resolution, morale, or command of a situation
the prisoner broke under cross-examination and told the whole story
— often used with down
(3) : to become severely affected or crushed by grief, disappointment, or anguish — used of the heart conceived as the seat of emotions or affections
his heart broke when his wife died
i. : to become inoperative or ineffectual because of damage, wear, or strain
the toy broke
— often used with down
the bus broke down on the hill
j. : to go bankrupt : fail in business
the bank broke as a result of the run
k. : to undergo a sudden marked decrease in price or value
rail stocks broke sharply yesterday
l. : to undergo breaking
3. obsolete : to speak (with a person concerning some subject)
break with thee of some affairs — Shakespeare
4.
a. : to end a relationship, connection, accord, or agreement
broke with his leader on this issue
break with tradition
— often used with off or up
her parents broke up and got a divorce
broke off with his wife completely
b. : to effect a departure, termination, interruption, or change from the accustomed — often used with away
breaking away and living a life of her own
c. : to release a dancing partner's hands : loose hands in dancing : separate so that another may cut in
d. : to become unfurled : stream out at full length
the royal standard broke from the mainmast
5.
a. : to make a sharp change in course : deviate from a straight line
b.
(1) of a bowled cricket ball : to change direction on touching the ground
a ball that turns from off to leg breaks back; one that turns toward the wicket from either side breaks in; one that turns away from the wicket to either side breaks away
(2) of a pitched baseball : to curve, drop, or rise sharply
a fast ball that breaks away from a batter
c. : to change sharply in purport, mood, or attitude
breaking to the ridiculous
d.
(1) of the voice : to alter sharply in tone, pitch, or intensity either momentarily (as under stress of emotion) or permanently
his voice broke with excitement
: shift from one register to another (as when the voice is changing in adolescence)
the boy's voice broke momentarily from its deep new bass to its original high soprano
(2) of a tone on a wind instrument : to shift abruptly from one register to another : fail abruptly in musical quality (as by a sudden uncontrolled harshness or shift in register) ; also : to die out : fail
screamed until his voice broke completely
e. of a horse : to fail to keep a prescribed gait
f.
(1) : to be interrupted for continuation in another column or on another page usually not consecutive
the story breaks to page five
— compare jump
(2) : to come to a break
the first two columns break nicely
paragraph three broke badly at the ends of the lines
g. : to move a camera to a new location
h.
(1) : to announce in a game of rummy that play will end after each player has had one more turn
(2) : to be first to meld in rummy
i. : to interrupt one's activity or occupation usually for a brief period
at noon we break for lunch
6.
a. : to vary from even continuity or regularity : develop notable variation or change
b. : to change abruptly in line or set often with suggestion of opening
her face broke into a smile
c. : to become broken or discontinuous
an electric circuit may break
d.
(1) of a fish or whale : to leap wholly or partly out of the water
(2) : to emerge from the surface of the water
shoals that break at low tide
e. : to make the opening shot of a game or frame of pool or billiards
f. : to exhibit variation (as the flowers from hybrid seedlings or those from plants infected with a virus) : sport
7.
a. : to divide into classes, categories, or types : analyze , classify — usually used with down or up
our cases break up into three types
b. : to fold, bend, lift, or come apart at a seam, groove, or joint
a hospital bed that breaks
a pistol that breaks
c. of cream : to separate during churning into liquid and fat
d. : to fix a round number for the payoff in pari-mutuel betting and disregard uneven winnings (as pennies)
in some states race tracks break to the nearest nickel
e. : to form branches
a tree bough that breaks
f.
(1) : to thicken and become cloudy : produce a precipitate or suspension of gelatinous matter — used especially of vegetable oils on being heated
(2) of an emulsion : to separate permanently, usually into oily and aqueous layers — often distinguished from cream
8. : happen , develop
everything broke right for him
Synonyms:
crack , burst , bust , snap , shatter , shiver : break usually implies a stress or strain strong enough to cause rupture or fracture in one or many places, or a general disruption, but extends commonly to any depriving (of an object, as a machine) of capacity to work
the dam broke and flooded neighboring fields
break a rock with a hammer
break a silence
the clock is broken and does not run
crack implies a breaking of something hard, brittle, or hollow, usually without complete separation of parts
crack a plate
crack a mirror
a cracked baseball bat
burst implies a breaking into pieces, usually with the scattering of parts or contents, often by the force of internal pressure
the glittering bubble burst — G.H.Reed b.1887
a shell burst 50 feet in front and showered the area with shrapnel
bust is interchangeable with break or burst in extremely informal conversational English
a busted alarm clock — Eric Hodgins
three busted ribs — Time
the doors unhinged, the globes busted — Henry Miller
snap suggests a quick clean complete break, especially of something brittle or fragile
the branch snapped with the weight of the ice and the force of the wind
to snap a stick in two
shatter carries the idea of a totally destructive breaking into pieces especially forcibly and with a wide scattering of fragments
the force of the explosion shattered the windows for 1/2 mile around
the burst of fire shattered all enemy resistance
shiver implies a shattering by forceful sudden clashing or smashing and lays even stronger stress than shatter on the scattering of small fragments
one of the men tore the paper plaster off the full-length mirror, … hurled his soup bowl at it, shivering the glass — R.M.Lovett
the sound of an explosion shivered the quiet — Irwin Shaw
•
- break a lance
- break and enter
- break bread
- break bulk
- break camp
- break cover
- break for color
- break ground
- break joints
- break no squares
- break one's duck
- break one's heart
- break one's neck
- break one's wrists
- break service
- break sheer
- break ship
- break step
- break the back
- break the ice
- break wind
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English breke, from breken, v.
1.
a. : an act or action of breaking : shattering : fracture
b. : a grinding of grain or meal : any of the grindings in which flour is separated or extracted from bran
c. : a breaking of flax or hemp ; also : breaker 2c(1)
d. : the action of breaking open hogsheads ; also : a sale of tobacco from opened hogsheads
e.
(1) : a pool shot that touches a ball in the arranged triangle at the beginning of a frame
(2) : the opening shot in a game of billiards
f. : the act of opening a gap in an electrical circuit
2.
a. : a condition produced by breaking or appearing as if so produced : gap , opening , aperture , breach , rent
through a break in the hedge
a break in the pipe
a break in the clouds
b. : a gap in an otherwise continuous electric circuit
3. : the action or act of breaking in, out, or forth: as
a. : emergence from darkness : lightening
at break of day
b. : a sometimes forcefully effected escape from confinement
the convicts planned a jail break
c. : illegal entry accomplished forcefully
a break at the store was thwarted by the police
d. : an abrupt run (as to reach safety) : dash , rush
captives making a break for freedom
the startled deer made a break for the thicket
a base runner making a break for home
especially : a quick offensive thrust toward one's own basket in basketball
e. : the start of a race ; especially : the start of a horse race
f. : the act of separating after a boxing or wrestling clinch often by the referee
g. : the occurrence of a disease in a person or especially in a domestic animal supposed to be immune to or to have been completely isolated from exposure to that disease
4. : an interruption in continuity
waiting for a break in the bad weather
as
a. : discontinuity in the flow or tone of a composition : a notable change of subject matter, attitude, or treatment
a sonnet is often marked by a break after the eighth line
b.
(1) : an abrupt, significant, or noteworthy change or interruption in a continuous process, trend, course of action, or series of events
a break in production for retooling
army service made a break in his career
(2) : an interruption from work or duty for rest, relaxation, or recreation
taking a break for a cigarette
(3) : a planned interruption in a radio or television program
a break for the commercial
c. : a noticeable interruption or change in any continuous surface, level, line, or course: as
(1) : a marked topographical variation
a plain extending 1000 miles without a break
: a portion of land distinct or divided off from adjacent land : a plowed area : a strip of land in crop or pasture : an irregular rough piece of ground : a deep valley, ravine, or gorge; especially : one that cuts through a ridge or mountain
(2) breaks plural : a line of cliffs and associated spurs and small ravines (as at the edge of a mesa or canyon)
(3) chiefly Britain : a portion of pasture or grazing crop to be grazed for a limited period of time
grazing rape in breaks
(4) : a feature breaking the continuity of a structural line : a projection from a surface : a change in direction
gates, niches, and other breaks in the wall
(5) : a part in a ship or deck where a partial deck ends leaving a drop to a deck on a lower level
(6) : change of direction of flight of a bowled cricket ball after bouncing especially when caused by spin imparted by the bowler — see leg-break , offbreak
(7) : deviation of a pitched baseball from a straight line or from a gravitational curve
d.
(1) mining : dislocation , fault
(2) : an abrupt change of fossil content or lithology at a definite horizon in a chronologic sequence of sedimentary rocks indicative of a disconformity or hiatus
a faunal break
a stratigraphic break
also : any marked change in lithology in a sedimentary sequence
e. : a disturbing or rippling of the surface of water (as by a fish rising)
f. : an abrupt halt, change of direction, or pivoting separation of partners dancing together
g.
(1) : interruption of a line (as a crease, fold, or seam) in clothing
trousers with a break just above the shoe
: change in a line at a seam
the break where brim and crown of a hat meet
(2) : a wrinkle or series of wrinkles formed in leather at a fold
h. : failure of a horse to maintain the prescribed gait in a harness race : change from one pace to another
i.
(1) : an abrupt change in the quality or pitch of musical tone
(2) : the shift of a rank to a lower octave in organ mixture stops to avoid impractically small pipes
(3) : any notable variation in pitch, intensity, or tone in the voice
speaking passionately, with a break in her voice
j. : a switch of a block of votes (as in a political convention) to create a definite trend — compare stampede
k. : a noticeable change in quality, character, or nature : a departure from a previously followed pattern
a break from his customary procedure
(1) : any striking departure from the normal color of a flower (as in tulips affected by virus) in which the blooms become variously striped and variegated
(2) : an interruption of the fibers of a fleece by a zone of inferior quality coinciding with the growth of wool during a period of illness or deficiency of food or water
l. printing : separation of composed matter at an indicated point
5. : a rupture in previously friendly relations or firm accord : disagreement causing separation : an abrupt split or difference with or as if with something previously adhered to or followed
a break between the president and the secretary on the matter
a break between the two countries
a break with a tradition previously followed
a clean break with his old associates
6.
a. : a number of chests of tea making up a consignment or shipment
b. : the quantity of hemp prepared in a year
c. : a sequence of successful shots in billiards : run
a break of 20
a 60 break
d. : gelatinous matter that separates in some vegetable oils (as raw linseed oil) on being heated ; also : similar matter that separates on aging — compare foot 15
7. : a device used in breaking, bending, checking, or changing: as
a. : a tool for bending sheet metal to a required angle
a cornice break
— compare brake IV 5
b. : a bench on which dough is kneaded : a machine used in kneading dough
c. : flax breaker
d. : the roller or stone mill that grinds the original wheat
e. : firebreak
f. : a commutator in telegraphy
8. : a place or situation at which a break occurs:
a.
(1) : the point where one musical register changes to another (as of a voice or of wind instruments)
(2) in compound organ stops : a point where the relative pitch of the pipes changes
(3) in blues or jazz : a short ornamental or rhythmically emphatic passage interpolated between phrases by a performer and filling out the form of a short phrase to periodic length
b. : branch ; especially : one formed after pinching or disbudding — see bottom break
c.
(1) : break line
(2) : the place where calculation shows that a column or page will end and the continuity of composed matter should be broken
(3) : the place in a form at which matter that is to be printed in another color is separated from neighboring matter
(4) : the place at which a word is divided (as at the end of a line)
(5) : the point in a printed story at which it is continued on another page or column
(6) : the terminal point of a printed line
headline verbs are seldom split by a line break
(7) : the time at which a news story becomes available for publication
d. : a pause or interruption (as a caesura or diaeresis) within or at the end of a verse or other unit of utterance or composition
e. : a failure to make a strike or a spare on a frame in bowling
f. : a forest fire that escapes immediate control
9. : a sudden and abrupt decline of prices or values ; broadly : any price decline
the news caused a break in rails
10. : a rough jet of metal on the shank of a newly cast and unfinished foundry type
11. : an awkward social blunder ; specifically : a gauche, naïve, or imprudent comment causing embarrassment
12. : a stroke of fortune
ascribe his fortune to luck, to getting the breaks — J.G.Cozzens
specifically : a favorable or opportune situation or turn arising either through chance or through equitable or kindly consideration or treatment
dwarfs got their best break … in aircraft factories, inspecting bomber wings from the inside — W.L.Gresham
a judge often gives a first offender a break
Synonyms:
gap , interruption , interval , interim , hiatus , lacuna : break applies to any lapse in continuity of material, course of action, or time
a break in the fence
a break in the ice
the book was written with no breaks
the holiday made a pleasant break in the routine
gap , orig. indicating an opening in a wall, was extended to indicate any means of passage and now may indicate a void, a space unfilled or unfillable
a water gap
a wind gap
a gap in the mountain chain
the gap which separates Roman Britain from Anglo-Saxon England has fascinated a long succession of scholars — Times Literary Supplement
interruption may apply to breaking of continuity, sometimes disturbing; it may call attention to the action of breaking rather than the result
the time schedule we set up must be tentative, of course, until we find out the interruptions — telephone calls, appointments — that are bound to occur — Better Homes & Gardens
the Newport Mercury, a publication that has, with one brief interruption during the Revolution, come down to the present day — American Guide Series: Rhode Island
interval may refer to distance in space or period in time between two similar things
along this fertile plain, at intervals averaging about seven miles, are thoroughly modern towns — American Guide Series: Texas
you snatched gladly at such diversions Sunday, for the rest of the day until 2 o'clock was a solemn interval, during which all the usual books and plays were interdicted — Mary Austin
interim refers to an interval between specified dates or events
the interim between the two wars
the interim between the king's death and the prince's accession
in a healthy mind there is an interim between one duty and another. This prevents them from wearing each other out. These intervals of soothing carelessness, if not unduly prolonged, are very restorative — S.M.Crothers
hiatus indicates a gap or break, often in regard to something said, composed, or considered
it was believed that a distinct cultural hiatus separated the end of the Paleolithic and the beginning of the Neolithic period — R.W.Murray
it is doubtful if contemporary criticism of fiction, after the critical hiatus of the 19th century, has quite found itself again in the classic Aristotelian tradition — R.G.Davis
lacuna may refer to a blank or gap in or as if in a manuscript
lacunae in Beowulf
a difficult man to write a biography of, because there are so many lacunae in our factual knowledge of his life — New Yorker
Synonym: see in addition breach , opportunity .
III. noun
also brake “
( -s )
Etymology: break (I)
1. : a bodiless carriage frame used for breaking in horses
2. : a four-wheeled straight-bodied horse-drawn pleasure vehicle usually having a capacity of six or more persons in addition to the driver and footman
IV.
variant of brake
V. noun
1. : a usually solo instrumental passage in jazz, folk, country, or popular music
2. : breakdown 2a