break
verb
noun
breɪk verb
1
SEPARATE INTO PIECES
破碎
a. if you break something, you make it separate into two or more pieces, for example by hitting it, dropping it, or bending it b. if something breaks, it separates into two or more pieces 破裂成两部分 （更多块 ），破碎，断裂 T I
I had to break a window to get into the house.
我只得打破一扇窗户进到屋子里去。
Don’t lean on the fence like that – you’ll break it!
不要那样靠在篱笆上 — 会弄断的！
break sth in half/two
He broke the biscuit in half and handed one piece to me.
他把饼乾掰成两半，递了一块给我。
Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it over a gentle heat.
把巧克力捣碎放在文火上熔化。
He kept pulling at the rope until it broke.
他拉呀拉直到把绳子拉断。
The frames are made of plastic and they tend to break quite easily.
这些框架是塑料做的，很容易碎裂。
2
BONES
骨头
to damage a bone in your body by making it crack or split 使骨折 T
She fell downstairs and broke her hip.
她从楼梯上摔下来，髋部骨折。
3
MACHINES
机器
a. to damage a machine so that it does not work properly b. if a machine breaks, it stops working properly 〔机器〕损坏，坏掉 T I
Don’t mess about with my camera – you’ll break it.
别乱动我的相机，你会把它弄坏的。
Someone’s broken the TV.
有人把电视机弄坏了。
The washing machine’s broken again.
洗衣机又坏掉了。
4
RULES/LAWS
规定/法律
to disobey a rule or law 不遵守，违犯 T
They’re breaking the law by employing such young children.
他们雇用这么小的孩子是违法的。
If you break the rules you will be punished.
违反规定将要受到惩罚。
The cameras catch motorists who break the speed limit.
摄像头会拍下超速的司机。
5
PROMISE/AGREEMENT
诺言/协议
to not do something that you have promised to do or signed an agreement to do 违反，违背〔诺言、协议等〕 T
I never break my promises .
我从不食言。
You betrayed me. You broke your word .
你出卖我，你说话不算数。
break an agreement/contract
He was worried that he might be breaking his contract.
他担心他可能会违约。
6
STOP/REST
停下来/休息
to stop for a short time in order to have a rest or eat something 稍停，休息 I
[+ for ]
Shall we break for lunch now?
我们现在停下来吃午饭好吗？
7
END STH
结束某事物
to stop something from continuing 打断，中断 T
We need to break the cycle of poverty and crime in the inner cities.
我们需要打破旧城区里贫困和犯罪的恶性循环。
We took turns driving, in order to try and break the monotony.
我们轮流开车来解闷。
New talks will begin on Monday in an effort to break the deadlock .
星期一将重启会谈，以打破僵局。
8
DEFEAT SB
打垮某人
to make someone feel that they have been completely defeated and they cannot continue working or living 打垮，击垮 T
Losing his business nearly broke him.
生意亏本几乎将他击垮。
I won’t give in. I won’t be broken by him.
我决不服输，我不会被他击垮的。
9
DESTROY AN ORGANIZATION
摧毁一个组织
to damage an organization so badly that it no longer has any power 摧毁〔一个组织〕 T
The government succeeded in breaking the unions.
政府成功地瓦解了工会。
10
DAY/DAWN
白昼/黎明
when the day or the dawn breaks, the sky gets light 〔天〕刚亮，破晓 I
Dawn was breaking by the time we arrived home.
我们到家的时候天已开始亮了。
11
STORM
暴风雨
if a storm breaks, it begins 〔暴风雨〕来临，突然出现 I
We were keen to get back to the hotel before the storm broke.
我们急于赶在暴风雨来临之前回到宾馆。
12
WEATHER
天气
if the weather breaks, it suddenly changes and becomes cold or wet 〔天气〕突然变化，变天 I
The following day the weather broke and we had ten days of solid rain.
第二天天气就变了，接着就一连下了十天的雨。
13
WAVES
波浪
when waves break, they fall onto the land at the edge of the water 〔波浪〕迸溅，拍岸 I
We sat and watched the waves breaking on the shore.
我们坐着看海浪拍击海岸。
14
SB’S VOICE
某人的声音
a. when a boy’s voice breaks, it becomes lower and starts to sound like a man’s voice b. if your voice breaks, it does not sound smooth because you are feeling strong emotions 〔声音因激动而〕变调 I
He was fifteen, and his voice was just beginning to break.
他十五岁，刚开始变声。
Her voice broke as she told us what had happened.
当她向我们诉说发生的一切时，声音哽咽起来。
15
NEWS
消息
a. if news about an important event breaks, it becomes known b. if you break unpleasant news to someone, you tell it to them 告诉〔某人不愉快的消息〕 I T
News of his resignation broke yesterday.
昨天传出了他辞职的消息。
The minister has refused to give any interviews since the scandal broke.
自从丑闻传出以后，部长就拒绝接受采访。
I didn’t know how I was going to break the news to my mother.
我不知道该怎样把这个消息告诉母亲。
The doctor finally broke it to me that there was no cure.
医生最后终于和我明说，这个病没治了。
16
break a habit
16. to stop doing something that you do regularly, especially something that you should not do 改掉某习惯〔尤指坏习惯〕
a new drug which helps smokers to break their habit
帮助吸烟者戒烟的一种新药
17
break a record
17. to do something even faster or even better than the previous best time, amount etc 破纪录
an attempt to break the 10,000 metres world record
打破 10,000 米世界纪录的尝试
18
break a journey
18. to stop somewhere for a short time during a long journey 中途停留 BrE
We decided to break our journey in Oxford.
我们决定中途在牛津歇脚。
19
break sb’s heart
19. to make someone very unhappy by ending a relationship with them or doing something that upsets them a lot 使某人伤心 （心碎 ）
He broke my heart when he left me.
他离开我，使我心都碎了。
It’ll break your father’s heart if you tell him you’re giving up college.
如果你告诉你父亲不上大学了，他会很伤心的。
20
break a strike
20. to force workers to end a STRIKE 迫使结束罢工
The government has threatened to bring in the army to break the 10-month-old strike.
政府威胁说要调派军队结束这场历时十个月的罢工。
21
break a link/tie/connection
21. to end a relationship with a person or organization 断绝关系
The US has now broken all diplomatic links with the regime.
美国现已和这个政权断绝了所有外交关系。
Sometimes it is necessary to break family ties in order to protect the child.
有时候为了保护孩子必须切断他和家人的联系。
22
break the skin
22. to cut the skin on your body 割伤皮肤，撕开皮肤
Their teeth are sharp enough to break the skin.
它们的牙齿很锋利，足以撕裂皮肤。
23
break the back of sth
23. to finish the main or worst part of something 完成某事物的主要部分; 攻克某事物的难关
I think we’ve broken the back of the job now.
我想我们现在已经攻克这活儿的难关了。
24
break the bank
24. to cost a lot of money, or more money than you have 花很多钱; 透支
A new hard drive doesn’t have to break the bank.
买一个新的硬盘驱动器不会让你破产的。
25
break sb’s concentration
25. to interrupt someone and stop them from being able to continue thinking or talking about something 分散某人的注意力
The slightest sound would break his concentration.
稍有一点动静就会分散他的注意力。
26
break the silence
26. to end a period of silence by talking or making a noise 打破寂静 （沉默 ）
The silence was broken by a loud scream.
一声尖叫打破了寂静。
27
break sb’s spirit
27. to destroy someone’s feeling of determination 摧毁某人的意志，挫某人的锐气
They could not break her spirit.
他们摧毁不了她的意志。
The spirit of our soldiers will never be broken.
我们的战士绝不气馁。
28
break sb’s power
28. to take away someone’s position of power or control 削弱某人的权力
At last the power of the church was finally broken.
最后，教会的权力终于削弱了。
29
break the ice
29. to make people feel more friendly and willing to talk to each other [非正式] 打破沉默 informal
Sam’s arrival broke the ice and people began to talk and laugh.
萨姆的到来打破了沉默，大家开始又说又笑起来。
30
break a code
30. to succeed in understanding something that is written in a secret way 破译密码
Scientists worked day and night to break the code.
为了破译密码，科学家们日夜工作。
31
break wind
31. to allow gas to escape from your bottom, making a noise and an unpleasant smell 放屁
32
break (sb’s) serve
32. to win a game in tennis when your opponent is starting the game by hitting the ball first 〔网球中〕破（某人的）发球局得分
Hewitt broke serve twice in the second set.
休伊特在第二盘中两次破对方发球局得分。
33 to leave a group or political party and form another group, usually because of a disagreement 〔通常因意见不合而从某个团体或政党中〕脱离出去
More than 30 Labour MPs broke away to form a new left-wing party.
三十多名工党议员脱离工党，成立了一个新的左翼党派。
[+ from ]
They broke away from the national union and set up their own local organization.
他们脱离了这个全国性工会，自己成立了一个地方组织。
34 to leave your home, family, or job and become independent 离开〔家、家庭或工作〕
[+ from ]
I felt the need to break away from home.
我觉得有必要从家里出来。
35 to move away from someone who is holding you 逃脱，挣脱，逃离
She started crying and tried to break away.
她大叫起来，想要挣脱开去。
[+ from ]
She broke away from him and ran to the door.
她甩开他跑到门口。
36 to move away from other people in a race or game 甩开〔其他参赛者〕
Radcliffe broke away 200 metres before the finish.
拉德克利夫在终点前 200 米的位置甩开了其他对手。
37 to become loose and no longer attached to something 断开，脱开
Part of the plane’s wing had broken away.
机翼的有些地方断开了。
38 if a car or machine breaks down, it stops working 停止运转，出故障
The car broke down just north of Paris.
汽车就在巴黎以北的地方抛锚了。
The printing machines are always breaking down.
印刷机老是出故障。
39 to fail or stop working in a successful way 失败
Negotiations broke down after only two days.
谈判只进行了两天就破裂了。
I left London when my marriage broke down.
我婚姻破裂以后就离开了伦敦。
40
break sth down
↔ if you break down a door, you hit it so hard that it breaks and falls to the ground 撞倒，打破，砸破〔门〕
Police had to break down the door to get into the flat.
警方只得把门撞开进入公寓里面。
41
break sth down
↔ to change or remove something that prevents people from working together and having a successful relationship with each other 消除，驱除〔人与人之间的隔阂等〕
Getting young people together will help to break down the barriers between them.
把年轻人聚集起来可以帮助他们消除彼此之间的隔阂。
It takes a long time to break down prejudices.
消除偏见需要很长时间。
42 if a substance breaks down or something breaks it down, it changes as a result of a chemical process （使）分解
break sth ↔ down
Food is broken down in the stomach.
食物在胃里分解。
Bacteria are added to help break down the sewage.
下水道中加入细菌帮助分解污物。
43 to be unable to stop yourself crying, especially in public 〔尤指在公共场合〕禁不住哭出来
He broke down and cried.
他控制不住，哭了出来。
She broke down in tears when she heard the news.
她听到这个消息禁不住泪流满面。
44
break sth down
↔ to separate something into smaller parts so that it is easier to do or understand 拆分〔某事物〕，把〔某事物〕分成若干部分〔以方便做或理解〕
He showed us the whole dance, then broke it down so that we could learn it more easily.
他给我们演示了整段舞蹈，然后拆分开来方便我们学习。
The question can be broken down into two parts.
这个问题可以分为两个部分。
45 to suddenly run towards something, especially in order to escape from someone 突然跑向，冲向〔尤指想避开某人〕
He broke for the door, but the guards got there before he did.
他向门口冲去，但是警卫先于他赶到了那里。
46 to enter a building by using force, in order to steal something 闯入〔行窃〕
Thieves broke in and stole £10,000 worth of computer equipment.
窃贼破门而入，盗走了价值 10,000 英镑的计算机设备。
47 to interrupt someone when they are speaking 插话，打断谈话
[+ on ]
I didn’t want to break in on his telephone conversation.
他打电话的过程中我不想打断他。
[+ with ]
Dad would occasionally break in with an amusing comment.
爸爸时不时插进来一句趣评。
48
break sth in
↔ to make new shoes or boots less stiff and more comfortable by wearing them 使〔新鞋〕逐渐舒适合脚
I went for a walk to break in my new boots.
我出去走了走，好让新靴子合脚。
49
break sb in
to help a person get used to a certain way of behaving or working 使某人适应〔某种行为方式或工作方式〕
She’s quite new to the job so we’re still breaking her in.
她才做这份工作不久，所以我们还在带着她熟悉业务。
50
break sth in
↔ to teach a young horse to carry people on its back 训练〔小马〕驮（人）
We break the horses in when they’re about two years old.
小马两岁左右的时候我们就开始训练它们。
51 to enter a building or car by using force, in order to steal something 闯入〔某处行窃〕
Someone broke into my car and stole the radio.
有人撬了我的车把收音机偷走了。
Her house was broken into last week.
她家上个星期遭窃了。
52 to become involved in a new job or business activity 打入，进入，参与〔新的工作或行业〕
She made an attempt to break into journalism.
她努力想进入新闻界工作。
It’s a profession that is very hard to break into.
这个行业很难跻身进去。
Many British firms have failed in their attempts to break into the American market.
许多英国公司试图打入美国市场，但都失败了。
53 to start to spend money that you did not want to spend 动用〔不想动用的钱〕
I don’t want to break into my savings unless I have to.
除非迫不得已，我不想动用自己的积蓄。
54
break into a run/trot etc
to suddenly start running 突然奔跑
He broke into a run as he came round the corner.
他在拐角的地方突然跑了起来。
55
break into a smile/a song/applause etc
to suddenly start smiling, singing etc 突然笑起来/唱起来/鼓起掌来等
Her face broke into a smile.
她脸上突然绽放出笑容。
The audience broke into loud applause.
观众中爆发出热烈的掌声。
56 to make someone stop having a bad habit 使改掉〔坏习惯〕
Try to break yourself of the habit eating between meals.
尽量改掉正餐之间吃东西的习惯。
57 to suddenly stop talking 突然停止说话
She started to speak, then broke off while a waitress served us coffee.
她开始说了起来 ，后来服务员给我们上咖啡时她就突然打住了。
He broke off in mid-sentence to shake hands with the new arrivals.
他话说了一半，停下来和新到的人握手。
break sth ↔ off
I broke off the conversation and answered the phone.
我中断了谈话去接电话。
58
break sth off
↔ to end a relationship 结束，断绝〔关系〕
She broke off their engagement only a few weeks before they were due to be married.
就在他们举行婚礼的几个星期前，她取消了婚约。
The US has broken off diplomatic relations with the regime.
美国已经和这个政权断绝了外交关系。
59 if something breaks off, or if you break it off, it comes loose and is no longer attached to something else （使）折断，（使）断开
One of the car’s wing mirrors had broken off.
车上的一块后视镜已经折断了。
break sth ↔ off
He broke off a piece of bread.
他掰下一块面包。
60 if something unpleasant such as a fire, fight, or war breaks out, it starts to happen 〔不愉快之事〕爆发，突然发生
I was still living in London when the war broke out.
战争爆发的时候我还住在伦敦。
Does everyone know what to do if a fire breaks out?
如果发生火警，大家都知道该怎么办吗？
Fighting broke out between demonstrators and the police.
游行示威者和警方发生了冲突。
61 to escape from a prison 越狱
[+ of ]
Three men have broken out of a top security jail.
三名男子从一个戒备极其森严的监狱逃跑了。
62 to change the way you live because you feel bored 〔因感到腻烦〕改变生活方式
[+ of ]
She felt the need to break out of her daily routine.
她觉得必须从日常事务中解脱出来。
63
break out in spots/a rash/a sweat etc
if you break out in spots etc, they appear on your skin 出丘疹/红疹/汗等
I broke out in a painful rash.
我出了疹子，很痛。
My whole body broke out in a sweat.
我浑身冒汗。
64
break through (sth)
to manage to get past or through something that is in your way 冲破（某物），突破（某物）
Several demonstrators broke through the barriers despite warnings from the police.
有几名游行示威者不顾警察警告，冲破了路障。
After hours of fierce fighting, rebels broke through and captured the capital.
经过数小时的激烈战斗，叛军突破防线，占领了首都。
65
break through (sth)
if the sun breaks through, you can see it when you could not see it before because there were clouds 〔太阳〕冲破（云层）
The sun broke through at around lunch time.
午饭时分，太阳破云而出。
The sun soon broke through the mist.
不久，太阳拨开云雾出来了。
66 to manage to do something successfully when there is a difficulty that is preventing you 突破，有突破
He’s a very talented young actor who’s just ready to break through.
他是一名天赋很高、正待破茧而出的青年演员。
[+ into ]
It is possible that at this election some of the minority parties might succeed in breaking through into parliament.
在这次选举中可能会有一些少数党派取得突破而进入议会。
67 if something breaks up, or if you break it up, it breaks into a lot of small pieces （使）碎裂，（使）破裂
It seems that the plane just broke up in the air.
似乎飞机在空中就解体碎裂了。
break sth ↔ up
Use a fork to break up the soil.
用耙子把土壤弄碎。
68
break sth up
↔ to separate something into several smaller parts 分拆某物，分解某物
There are plans to break the company up into several smaller independent companies.
有计划要把这家公司分拆成几家独立的小公司。
You need a few trees and bushes to break up the lawn.
你需要种些树和灌木把草坪分隔开来。
69
break sth up
↔ to stop a fight 阻止〔打斗〕
Three policemen were needed to break up the fight.
需要三名警察来制止这场斗殴。
70
break sth up
↔ to make people leave a place where they have been meeting or protesting 驱散〔集会或抗议的人群〕
Government soldiers broke up the demonstration .
政府军驱散了示威群众。
Police moved in to break up the meeting .
警察开进来驱散集会。
71 if a marriage, group of people, or relationship breaks up, the people in it separate and do not live or work together any more 〔婚姻、关系等〕破裂;〔集会或抗议的人群〕解散
He lost his job and his marriage broke up .
他丢了工作，婚姻也破裂了。
The couple broke up last year.
这对夫妻去年分手了。
Many bands break up because of personality clashes between the musicians.
许多乐队因为音乐人之间性格上的冲突而解散。
[+ with ]
Has Sam really broken up with Lucy?
萨姆真的和露西分手了吗？
72 if a meeting or party breaks up, people start to leave 〔会议或派对〕解散，散会，结束
The party didn’t break up until after midnight.
聚会到半夜以后才结束。
The meeting broke up without any agreement.
这场会议无果而终。
73 when a school breaks up, it closes for a holiday [英] 〔学校〕放假 BrE
School breaks up next week.
学校下个星期放假。
[+ for ]
When do you break up for Easter?
你们复活节什么时候开始放假？
74
break sb up
to make someone laugh by saying or doing something funny [美，非正式] 使某人大笑 AmE informal
He breaks me up!
他让我笑破了肚皮！
75 to leave a group of people or an organization, especially because you have had a disagreement with them 与…断绝关系，与…决裂，脱离
She had broken with her family years ago.
她多年前就和家里断绝了关系。
Powell broke with the Conservative Party over Europe.
因在欧洲问题上看法不同，鲍威尔脱离了保守党。
76
break with tradition/the past
to stop following old customs and do something in a completely different way 与传统/过去决裂
Now is the time to break with the past.
现在是该和过去告别的时候了。
His work broke with tradition in many ways.
他的作品在很多地方打破了传统。
noun
77
STOP WORKING
停止工作
a period of time when you stop working in order to rest, eat etc 休息 C
78
STOP DOING STH
停止做某事
a period of time when you stop doing something before you start again 中断，暂停 C
[+ from ]
I wanted a break from university life.
我想暂时从大学里休学。
She decided to take a career break when she had children.
她有了孩子的时候决定暂时放下工作。
[+ in ] a
welcome break in my normal routine
在我的生活常规中求之不得的改变
79
HOLIDAY
假期
a short holiday 短暂的假期，休假 C
I was beginning to feel that I needed a break.
我开始觉得我需要休假了。
We flew off for a week’s break in Spain.
我们飞去西班牙度假一个星期。
They’re offering weekend breaks in Paris for only a hundred pounds.
他们提供周末去巴黎度假的服务，只要一百英镑。
the Easter/Christmas etc break
Are you looking forward to the summer break?
你期盼暑假吗？
80
AT SCHOOL
在学校里
the time during the school day when classes stop and teachers and students can rest, eat, play etc 课间休息 U
at break
I’ll speak to you at break.
课间休息的时候我再找你谈。
They get together with their friends at break time .
课间休息的时候他们就和一帮朋友聚在一起。
81
ON TV
在电视上
a pause for advertisements during a television or radio programme 〔电视或广播节目中的〕广告时间 C
Join us again after the break.
广告之后欢迎继续收看。
We’ll be back with more after a short break.
短暂广告之后还有更多内容。
82
STH STOPS HAPPENING
某事停止发生
a period of time when something stops happening before it starts again 暂停，中止 C
[+ in ]
We’ll go for a walk if there’s a break in the rain.
雨停了我们就去散散步。
Latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance.
在演出中途适当的休息时间迟到者方可进场。
She waited for a break in the conversation.
她等着谈话暂停。
There was no sign of a break in the weather (=an improvement in bad weather) .
天气没有好转的迹象。
83
END A RELATIONSHIP
结束关系
a time when you leave a person or group, or end a relationship with someone 结束，断绝 singular 单数
I wanted a clean break so that I could restart my life.
我想彻底了断，开始新的生活。
It was years before I plucked up enough courage to make the break and leave him.
多年以后我才鼓足勇气分手，离开了他。
[+ with ]
He was beginning to regret his break with the Labour Party.
他开始后悔脱离工党。
84
SPACE/HOLE
空间/洞
a space or hole in something 裂口，缺口，裂缝 C
[+ in ]
We crawled through a break in the hedge.
我们从树篱的一个缺口爬了过去。
The sun shone through a break in the clouds.
太阳光透过云层的缝隙照射下来。
85
CHANCE
机会
a sudden or unexpected chance to do something that allows you to become successful in your job [非正式] 〔意想不到的〕机会，机遇 C | informal
There are hundreds of young musicians out there looking for their first break.
许许多多的年轻音乐人在寻找他们的第一次机会。
He got his first big break in 1998.
1998 年他得到了第一次机遇。
a lucky break
好运气
86
BONES
骨头
the place where a bone in your body has broken 骨折 C
It’s quite a bad break, which will take several months to heal.
骨折很严重，需要好几个月才能痊愈。
87
TENNIS
网球
a situation in a game of tennis in which you win a game when your opponent is starting the game by hitting the ball first 破发，破发球局得分 C
She really needs a break of serve now if she wants to win this match.
如果她要打赢这场比赛，现在非得破掉对方发球局才行。
88
SNOOKER
斯诺克
the number of points that a player wins when it is their turn to hit the ball in a game such as SNOOKER 连击所得的分数 C
89
break with tradition/the past
13. a time when people stop following old customs and do something in a completely different way 与传统/过去的决裂
It is time for a complete break with the past.
该彻底告别过去了。
90
make a break for sth
14. to suddenly start running towards something in order to escape from a place 〔为了逃跑〕突然冲向某处
As soon as the guard’s back was turned they made a break for the door.
警卫刚一转过身，他们就赶快向门口跑去。
Two of the prisoners made a break for it but were soon recaptured.
两名囚犯越狱逃跑，但是很快就被抓了回来。
91
give me/it a break!
15. used when you want someone to stop doing or saying something that is annoying you [口] 别烦我！ spoken
92
give sb a break
16. to stop being strict with someone so that a situation becomes easier for them [口] 给某人一次机会 spoken
Give the kid a break. It’s only his second day on the job.
给这小伙子一次机会吧，他干这活才第二天呢。
93
the break of day
17. the time early in the morning when it starts getting light [文] 黎明，拂晓 literary