The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

have broken new ground in the area of computer printout. 18
break in. a interrupt, interpose, interject, burst in, intrude,
intervene, interfere, disturb: If the results of the election
become known, we shall break in to keep you informed. b train,
educate, prepare; accustom, condition, habituate, wear: We'll
break you in for a week or two on the new machine. Wear your new
boots for an hour each day to break them in. c rob, burgle,
burglarize, break and enter: Someone broke in and stole my
video recorder last night. 19 break off. a discontinue, stop,
cease, end: Sally broke off in mid sentence. After the Fashoda
Incident, Britain broke off relations with France. b disengage;
sever, detach, break: A large branch broke off from the tree
and crashed down, narrowly missing me. 20 break out. a escape;
emerge, appear: She broke out of prison in 1985 and hasn't been
seen since. b erupt, come out in, break out in or into: He
breaks out in a rash from eating strawberries. A war could break
out any minute. 21 break the ice. See 17, above. 22 break
through. penetrate, force or get through: Wit, like beauty, can
break through the most unpromising disguise. 23 break up. See
also 11, 16 (b), above. a disband, disperse; disintegrate:
Heraclius succeeded in breaking up the Persian power. b
fracture, fragment, comminute: In the spring, the ice on the
river breaks up. c See 24 (a), below. 24 break with. a break
up (with), separate from, leave, depart from: The leader broke
with the party and established a new organization. Sally has
broken up with Michael. b renounce, repudiate, disavow: They
have broken entirely with the traditions we valued so highly.
--n. 25 fracture, split, separation, rupture, breach, rift,
schism: There was a break in a gas pipe. Disagreement over the
fishing grounds has resulted in a break in relations. 26 gap,
opening, hole; crack, slit: You can escape through a break in
the wall near the bridge. 27 interruption, discontinuity,
discontinuation, hesitation, suspension, hiatus, gap, lacuna,
unevenness, irregularity: There was a five-minute break in
transmission from the ship. 28 rest, respite, rest period,
coffee-break, tea break, intermission, interlude, lull, pause,
playtime, US recess, Colloq breather: We take a break at ten
o'clock. 29 chance, stroke of luck, opportunity, opening: All
he needs is a break to get started.
breakdown n. 1 collapse, downfall, failure, foundering; destruction,
ruin: There was a breakdown of our computer system. The