English Dictionary: to break up | by the DICT Development Group |
2 results for to break up | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Break \Break\, v. t. [imp. {broke}, (Obs. {Brake}); p. p. {Broken}, (Obs. {Broke}); p. pr. & vb. n. {Breaking}.] [OE. breken, AS. brecan; akin to OS. brekan, D. breken, OHG. brehhan, G. brechen, Icel. braka to creak, Sw. braka, br[84]kka to crack, Dan. br[91]kke to break, Goth. brikan to break, L. frangere. Cf. {Bray} to pound, {Breach}, {Fragile}.] 1. To strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with violence; as, to break a rope or chain; to break a seal; to break an axle; to break rocks or coal; to break a lock. --Shak. 2. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a package of goods. 3. To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate. Katharine, break thy mind to me. --Shak. 4. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise. Out, out, hyena! these are thy wonted arts . . . To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray. --Milton 5. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate; as, to break silence; to break one's sleep; to break one's journey. Go, release them, Ariel; My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore. --Shak. 6. To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as, to break a set. 7. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British squares. 8. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments. The victim broke in pieces the musical instruments with which he had solaced the hours of captivity. --Prescott. 9. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill. 10. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as, to break flax. 11. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind. An old man, broken with the storms of state. --Shak. 12. To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a fall or blow. I'll rather leap down first, and break your fall. --Dryden. 13. To impart, as news or information; to broach; -- with to, and often with a modified word implying some reserve; as, to break the news gently to the widow; to break a purpose cautiously to a friend. 14. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or saddle. [bd]To break a colt.[b8] --Spenser. Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute? --Shak. 15. To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to ruin. With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks, Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks. --Dryden. 16. To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss. I see a great officer broken. --Swift. Note: With prepositions or adverbs: {To break down}. (a) To crush; to overwhelm; as, to break down one's strength; to break down opposition. (b) To remove, or open a way through, by breaking; as, to break down a door or wall. {To break in}. (a) To force in; as, to break in a door. (b) To train; to discipline; as, a horse well broken in. {To break of}, to rid of; to cause to abandon; as, to break one of a habit. {To break off}. (a) To separate by breaking; as, to break off a twig. (b) To stop suddenly; to abandon. [bd]Break off thy sins by righteousness.[b8] --Dan. iv. 27. {To break open}, to open by breaking. [bd]Open the door, or I will break it open.[b8] --Shak. {To break out}, to take or force out by breaking; as, to break out a pane of glass. {To break out a cargo}, to unstow a cargo, so as to unload it easily. {To break through}. (a) To make an opening through, as, as by violence or the force of gravity; to pass violently through; as, to break through the enemy's lines; to break through the ice. (b) To disregard; as, to break through the ceremony. {To break up}. (a) To separate into parts; to plow (new or fallow ground). [bd]Break up this capon.[b8] --Shak. [bd]Break up your fallow ground.[b8] --Jer. iv. 3. (b) To dissolve; to put an end to. [bd]Break up the court.[b8] --Shak. {To break} (one) {all up}, to unsettle or disconcert completely; to upset. [Colloq.] Note: With an immediate object: {To break the back}. (a) To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable totally. (b) To get through the worst part of; as, to break the back of a difficult undertaking. {To break bulk}, to destroy the entirety of a load by removing a portion of it; to begin to unload; also, to transfer in detail, as from boats to cars. {To break cover}, to burst forth from a protecting concealment, as game when hunted. {To break a deer} [or] {stag}, to cut it up and apportion the parts among those entitled to a share. {To break fast}, to partake of food after abstinence. See {Breakfast}. {To break ground}. (a) To open the earth as for planting; to commence excavation, as for building, siege operations, and the like; as, to break ground for a foundation, a canal, or a railroad. (b) Fig.: To begin to execute any plan. (c) (Naut.) To release the anchor from the bottom. {To break the heart}, to crush or overwhelm (one) with grief. {To break a house} (Law), to remove or set aside with violence and a felonious intent any part of a house or of the fastenings provided to secure it. {To break the ice}, to get through first difficulties; to overcome obstacles and make a beginning; to introduce a subject. {To break jail}, to escape from confinement in jail, usually by forcible means. {To break a jest}, to utter a jest. [bd]Patroclus . . . the livelong day breaks scurril jests.[b8] --Shak. {To break joints}, to lay or arrange bricks, shingles, etc., so that the joints in one course shall not coincide with those in the preceding course. {To break a lance}, to engage in a tilt or contest. {To break the neck}, to dislocate the joints of the neck. {To break no squares}, to create no trouble. [Obs.] {To break a path}, {road}, etc., to open a way through obstacles by force or labor. {To break upon a wheel}, to execute or torture, as a criminal by stretching him upon a wheel, and breaking his limbs with an iron bar; -- a mode of punishment formerly employed in some countries. {To break wind}, to give vent to wind from the anus. Syn: To dispart; rend; tear; shatter; batter; violate; infringe; demolish; destroy; burst; dislocate. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Break \Break\, v. i. 1. To come apart or divide into two or more pieces, usually with suddenness and violence; to part; to burst asunder. 2. To open spontaneously, or by pressure from within, as a bubble, a tumor, a seed vessel, a bag. Else the bottle break, and the wine runneth out. --Math. ix. 17. 3. To burst forth; to make its way; to come to view; to appear; to dawn. The day begins to break, and night is fled. --Shak. And from the turf a fountain broke, and gurgled at our feet. --Wordsworth. 4. To burst forth violently, as a storm. The clouds are still above; and, while I speak, A second deluge o'er our head may break. --Dryden. 5. To open up; to be scattered; to be dissipated; as, the clouds are breaking. At length the darkness begins to break. --Macaulay. 6. To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength. See how the dean begins to break; Poor gentleman! he droops apace. --Swift. 7. To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief; as, my heart is breaking. 8. To fall in business; to become bankrupt. He that puts all upon adventures doth oftentimes break, and come to poverty. --Bacn. 9. To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait; as, to break into a run or gallop. 10. To fail in musical quality; as, a singer's voice breaks when it is strained beyond its compass and a tone or note is not completed, but degenerates into an unmusical sound instead. Also, to change in tone, as a boy's voice at puberty. 11. To fall out; to terminate friendship. To break upon the score of danger or expense is to be mean and narrow-spirited. --Collier. Note: With prepositions or adverbs: {To break away}, to disengage one's self abruptly; to come or go away against resistance. Fear me not, man; I will not break away. --Shak. {To break down}. (a) To come down by breaking; as, the coach broke down. (b) To fail in any undertaking. He had broken down almost at the outset. --Thackeray. {To break forth}, to issue; to come out suddenly, as sound, light, etc. [bd]Then shall thy light break forth as the morning.[b8] --Isa. lviii. 8; Note: often with into in expressing or giving vent to one's feelings. [bd]Break forth into singing, ye mountains.[b8] --Isa. xliv. 23. {To break from}, to go away from abruptly. This radiant from the circling crowd he broke. --Dryden. {To break into}, to enter by breaking; as, to break into a house. {To break in upon}, to enter or approach violently or unexpectedly. [bd]This, this is he; softly awhile; let us not break in upon him.[b8] --Milton. {To break loose}. (a) To extricate one's self forcibly. [bd]Who would not, finding way, break loose from hell?[b8] --Milton. (b) To cast off restraint, as of morals or propriety. {To break off}. (a) To become separated by rupture, or with suddenness and violence. (b) To desist or cease suddenly. [bd]Nay, forward, old man; do not break off so.[b8] --Shak. {To break off from}, to desist from; to abandon, as a habit. {To break out}. (a) To burst forth; to escape from restraint; to appear suddenly, as a fire or an epidemic. [bd]For in the wilderness shall waters break out, and stream in the desert.[b8] --Isa. xxxv. 6 (b) To show itself in cutaneous eruptions; -- said of a disease. (c) To have a rash or eruption on the akin; -- said of a patient. {To break over}, to overflow; to go beyond limits. {To break up}. (a) To become separated into parts or fragments; as, the ice break up in the rivers; the wreck will break up in the next storm. (b) To disperse. [bd]The company breaks up.[b8] --I. Watts. {To break upon}, to discover itself suddenly to; to dawn upon. {To break with}. (a) To fall out; to sever one's relations with; to part friendship. [bd]It can not be the Volsces dare break with us.[b8] --Shak. [bd]If she did not intend to marry Clive, she should have broken with him altogether.[b8] --Thackeray. (b) To come to an explanation; to enter into conference; to speak. [Obs.] [bd]I will break with her and with her father.[b8] --Shak. |