Base verb
Phrasal verbs with break
The verb break combines with 7 particles to form everyday phrasal verbs. Each particle steers the meaning in its own direction — here they are with clear definitions and examples, so you can see the whole family at once.
7 phrasal verbs · 20 meanings
break away
3 senses- Escape from someone holding you
- Leave a group to form a separate one
- Pull ahead of others in a race
break down
6 senses- (of a vehicle or machine) stop working
- Lose emotional control and start crying
- Separate something into smaller parts to understand it
break in
1 sense- Enter a building illegally by force
break off
4 senses- End a relationship, talk or activity suddenly
- Detach a piece from something larger by breaking
- End diplomatic, business or personal contact
break out
1 sense- (of war, fire or disease) start suddenly
break through
3 senses- Cut into a broadcast or transmission
- Force a way through an obstacle or barrier
- Achieve success after a period of effort
break up
2 senses- Break into pieces
- End a relationship or gathering
Practice the break family in Sink In
Sink In drills every sense of break with spaced repetition — recognition, particle cloze, and meaning recall — so the whole family sticks instead of blurring together.