The word ‘break‘ can mean many different things. As a verb, the meaning is to separate (by accident or due to age) or interrupt.
For example:
- My sister broke my toy car. (separate)
- My lie-in was broken by a noisy cat. (interrupt)
Break is an irregular verb. The past tense is broke and the past participle is broken.
phrasal verbs with break
Phrasal verbs with ‘break’ include:
- break away
meaning – separate from the group, escape
example – A wildebeest broke away from the herd and was killed by a pride of lions. - break down
meaning – start crying, when a machine stops working
example – Rachel broke down in tears when she found out that she had failed. - break in/into
meaning – force entry into a building, vehicle, or object
example – I’m going to break into my piggy bank and see how much money I’ve saved for my holiday. - break out in something
meaning – develop a condition
example – I broke out in spots after trying a new face cream. - break out
meaning – escape from somewhere
example – My face has broken out in spots since I tried a new face cream. - break something down
meaning – divide into smaller parts
example – Let`s break the contract down into smaller parts so it doesn’t seem so scary. - break up
meaning – end a relationship with someone, separate into smaller pieces
example – Can you break up the chocolate into squares? It`ll melt faster.
picture phrasal verbs with break
Let’s learn the meaning of the phrasal verbs that contain the verb ‘break’ in more detail and see some examples in use.
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Click the links below to learn more phrasal verbs with pictures of go to the main phrasal verbs groups page to see the full list.
