Actions & Moments (Break): English Vocabulary List

to stop or overcome a behavior or practice that has become a regular part of one's life

"He finally broke his bad habit."

"The smoker finally managed to break the habit after trying to quit several times over many years."

to intentionally interrupt a moment of silence with a comment or action, usually to keep the conversation flowing or maintain the audience's attention

"He broke the pause."

"The presenter broke a pause in the lecture by asking a thought-provoking question."

to fail to fulfill a commitment or assurance given to someone

"Do not break a promise."

"He broke a promise to his daughter and she was extremely disappointed with him."

to set a new highest achievement or performance, typically in a competitive context

"The athlete broke a world record."

"The young athlete hopes to break the world record for the hundred metre sprint next year."

to reduce the impact or prevent injury when landing after a fall or sudden drop

"The bush broke his fall."

"The tree branches helped to break his fall when he slipped from the cliff and fell down."

to stop a planned holiday early and go back to work or home due to unforeseen circumstances

"We broke our vacation for a family emergency."

"The unexpected phone call from work broke my vacation and forced me to return home early."

to temporarily stop traveling during a trip, often for rest or to explore a place, before continuing

"We broke our journey at a small inn."

"We decided to break our long journey by stopping at a small hotel for the night."

to inform someone of important or disturbing information

"Break the news gently."

"The doctor gently broke the news to the family that their father had not survived the surgery."

to end a period of quietness or lack of communication by speaking, making noise, or taking action

"She broke the silence."

"After a long period of awkward quiet, the host finally broke the silence with a joke."

to end a magical or enchanting influence or to free someone from its effects

"The noise broke the spell."

"The sudden ringing of the phone broke the spell of the romantic movie and ruined the mood."

to suddenly start sweating

"I broke out in a sweat."

"The nervous speaker broke out in a sweat as soon as he walked onto the big stage."

to get very nervous or scared

"He broke out in a cold sweat when he saw the police."

"The nervous speaker broke out in a cold sweat just before he had to go on stage."

to reach a point where gains equal losses, resulting in a balance

"After a year, the business finally broke even."

"After two years of hard work the small business finally managed to break even financially."

to reach a point where gains equal losses, resulting in a balance

"The business will break even."

"After months of careful financial planning, the struggling startup finally managed to break even."