"the branch broke with a loud snap"

• sustain an injury involving the fracture of a bone or bones in a part of the body

  "she had broken her leg in two places"

• cause a cut or graze in (the skin)

  "the bite had scarcely broken the skin"

• make or become inoperative

  "the machine has broken and they can't fix it until next week"

• (of the amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus) be discharged when the sac is ruptured in the first stages of labour

  "she realized her waters had broken"

• open (a safe) forcibly
• use (a banknote) to pay for something and receive change out of the transaction

  "she had to break a tenner"

• (of two boxers or wrestlers) come out of a clinch, especially at the referee's command

  "I was acting as referee and telling them to break"

• make the first stroke at the beginning of a game of billiards, pool, or snooker
• unfurl (a flag or sail)
• succeed in deciphering (a code)

  "ciphers are easily broken by the new wonder machines"

• disprove (an alibi)

"this broke the pattern of generations remaining in the place where they were born"

• put an end to (a silence) by speaking or making contact

  "it was some time before he broke the silence"

• make a pause in (a journey)

  "we will break our journey in Venice"

• rest or stop proceedings for a while

  "at mid-morning they broke for coffee"

• lessen the impact of (a fall)

  "she put out an arm to break her fall"

• disconnect or interrupt (an electric circuit)

  "a multimeter able to measure current without having to break the circuit under test"

• stop oneself from engaging in (a habitual practice)

  "try to break the habit of adding salt at the table"

• surpass (a record)

  "the film broke box office records in the US"

"the council says it will prosecute traders who break the law"

• fail to continue with (a self-imposed discipline)

  "diets started without preparation are broken all the time"

"the idea was to better the prisoners, not to break them"

• (of a person's emotional strength or control) give way

  "her self-control finally broke"

• destroy the power of (a movement or organization)

  "the management are out to break the union"

• destroy the effectiveness of (a strike), typically by bringing in other people to replace the striking workers

  "the company has attempted to break the strike using non-union labour"

• tame or train (a horse)

"the weather broke and thunder rumbled through a leaden sky"

• (of a storm) begin violently

  "when all were aboard, the storm broke"

• (of dawn or a day) begin as the sun rises

  "dawn was just breaking"

• (of clouds) move apart and begin to disperse

  "on the seventh of September the clouds broke for the first time"

• (of waves) curl over and dissolve into foam

  "the Caribbean sea was breaking gently on the shore"

• (of a person's voice) falter and change tone, due to emotion

  "her voice broke as she relived the experience"

• (of a boy's voice) change in tone and register at puberty

  "after his voice broke, he left the choir"

• (of a vowel) develop into a diphthong, under the influence of an adjacent sound
• (of prices on the stock exchange) fall sharply

"since the news broke I've received thousands of wonderful letters"

• make bad news known to (someone)

  "he was trying to break the terrible news gently to his father"

"Mitchell won possession and broke quickly, allowing Hughes to score"

• (of a bowled cricket ball) change direction on bouncing, due to spin
• (of a ball) rebound unpredictably

  "the ball broke to Craig but his shot rebounded from the post"

"when I break, I like to apply everything I've learned over the years"

"the magazine has been published without a break since 1950"

• an act of separating oneself from a pre-existing state of affairs

  "a break with the past"

• a change in the weather

  "a week or so may pass without a break in the weather"

• a change of line, paragraph, or page

  "dotted lines on the screen show page breaks"

• a change of tone in a person's voice due to emotion

  "there was a break in her voice now"

• an interruption in an electric circuit
• the winning of a game against an opponent's serve

"I need a break from mental activity"

• an interval during the school day

  "the bell went for break"

• a short holiday

  "a weekend break in the Cotswolds"

• a short solo or instrumental passage in jazz or popular music
• dance music featuring breakbeats

"the track bends left through a break in the hedge"

"he was stretchered off with a break to the leg"

"Norwich scored on a rare break with 11 minutes left"

• an escape, typically from prison
• a change in the direction of a bowled ball on bouncing

"he got his break as an entertainer on a TV music hall show"

"a break of 83 put him in front for the first time"

• a player's turn to make the opening shot of a game

  "whose break is it?"