break

1. (ergative, transitive, intransitive) To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.Examples: "If the vase falls to the floor, it might break."; "In order to tend to the accident victim, he will break the window of the car."; "First, marinate the tofu. In a bowl, whisk the kecap manis, chilli sauce, and sesame oil together. Cut the tofu into strips about 1cm thick, mix gently (so it doesn't break) with the marinade and leave in the fridge for half an hour."ergativeintransitivetransitive

2. (ergative, transitive, intransitive) To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.Examples: "His ribs broke under the weight of the rocks piled on his chest."; "He slipped on the ice and broke his leg."ergativeintransitivetransitive

3. (transitive) To divide (something, often money) into smaller units.Examples: "Can you break a hundred-dollar bill for me?"; "The wholesaler broke the container loads into palettes and boxes for local retailers."transitive

4. (transitive) To cause (a person or animal) to lose spirit or will; to crush the spirits of.Examples: "Her child’s death broke Angela."; "Interrogators have used many forms of torture to break prisoners of war."; "The interrogator hoped to break her to get her testimony against her accomplices."transitive

5. (transitive) To cause (a person or animal) to lose spirit or will; to crush the spirits of.Examples: "Colonel: See, gentlemen? Any horse could be broken."; "You have to break an elephant before you can use it as an animal of burden."Synonyms: break intransitive

6. (intransitive) To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief.Examples: "My heart is breaking."; "Two days later they transferred her to another prison to separate us. I broke. My life was gone, so I thought."intransitive