Here are 30 phrasal verbs with **break**, each explained with detailed meanings and examples to help you understand how they are used in different contexts: 1. **break down** – **to stop functioning or to become emotionally upset** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to separate or stop.” **Extended meaning:** “down” adds the sense of something no longer working or losing emotional control. • _The car broke down on the highway._ (The car stopped working.) • _She broke down in tears after hearing the sad news._ (She became emotionally overwhelmed.) 2. **break up** – **to end a relationship or to separate into smaller parts** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to divide or separate.” **Extended meaning:** “up” adds the sense of completely ending or dividing something. • _They broke up after five years of dating._ (Their relationship ended.) • _The meeting broke up into smaller discussion groups._ (The meeting divided into groups.) 3. **break out** – **to escape or to suddenly begin something** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to separate.” **Extended meaning:** “out” adds the sense of escaping or suddenly starting something. • _The prisoners broke out of jail last night._ (They escaped from jail.) • _A fight broke out at the concert._ (A fight suddenly started.) 4. **break in** – **to enter a place illegally or to interrupt** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to enter forcefully.” **Extended meaning:** “in” adds the sense of entering a space or disrupting a conversation. • _Someone broke in through the window and stole the TV._ (Someone entered the house illegally.) • _Sorry to break in, but I have an urgent message._ (The speaker interrupts with important information.) 5. **break through** – **to make a sudden and important discovery or to overcome an obstacle** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to separate.” **Extended meaning:** “through” adds the sense of passing or overcoming something. • _Scientists have broken through in cancer research._ (They made a significant discovery.) • _The company finally broke through the market barriers._ (The company overcame obstacles.) 6. **break off** – **to end something suddenly or to detach something** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to separate.” **Extended meaning:** “off” adds the sense of cutting off or stopping. • _She broke off the engagement a week before the wedding._ (She ended the engagement suddenly.) • _A piece of the branch broke off in the storm._ (A piece of the branch detached.) 7. **break away** – **to separate from a group or situation** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to separate.” **Extended meaning:** “away” adds the sense of moving apart or escaping. • _Several colonies broke away from the empire to form their own nations._ (The colonies separated.) • _The horse broke away from the herd and ran into the field._ (The horse escaped the group.) 8. **break down into** – **to divide something into smaller parts** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to separate.” **Extended meaning:** “down into” adds the sense of dividing into smaller elements. • _Let’s break this complex problem down into manageable steps._ (The problem is divided into simpler parts.) • _The budget was broken down into different categories._ (The budget was separated into sections.) 9. **break with** – **to end a connection with something or someone** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to sever or separate.” **Extended meaning:** “with” adds the sense of parting ways or disconnecting. • _He broke with tradition by wearing a colorful suit to the wedding._ (He chose not to follow tradition.) • _The politician broke with his party over policy differences._ (He parted ways with his party.) 10. **break out in** – **to develop a skin condition suddenly** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to appear or emerge.” **Extended meaning:** “out in” adds the sense of developing something on the surface, usually skin. • _She broke out in hives after eating shellfish._ (Her skin developed an allergic reaction.) • _He broke out in a cold sweat before the presentation._ (He suddenly began sweating.) 11. **break up with** – **to end a romantic relationship with someone** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to end.” **Extended meaning:** “up with” adds the sense of ending a relationship with someone. • _She broke up with her boyfriend last month._ (She ended her romantic relationship.) • _It was difficult for him to break up with her, but it had to be done._ (He ended their relationship.) 12. **break even** – **to neither gain nor lose money** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to balance or even out.” **Extended meaning:** “even” adds the sense of not making a profit or a loss. • _After paying the expenses, the business just broke even._ (The business made no profit or loss.) • _The goal is to break even by the end of the year._ (The aim is to balance expenses and revenue.) 13. **break it to** – **to inform someone of something, often bad news** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to reveal.” **Extended meaning:** “to” adds the sense of delivering information to someone. • _How do I break it to her that I lost the keys?_ (The speaker wonders how to tell her bad news.) • _He gently broke it to them that the event was canceled._ (He carefully informed them of the cancellation.) 14. **break away from** – **to escape or distance oneself from something** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to separate.” **Extended meaning:** “away from” adds the sense of moving away or escaping from something. • _She finally broke away from her controlling family._ (She gained independence from her family.) • _The runner broke away from the pack in the final lap._ (The runner separated from the group.) 15. **break in on** – **to interrupt someone during an activity** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to interrupt.” **Extended meaning:** “in on” adds the sense of intruding on someone. • _She broke in on our conversation with an urgent message._ (She interrupted our discussion.) • _He broke in on the meeting to make an important announcement._ (He interrupted the meeting.) 16. **break down barriers** – **to overcome obstacles, often related to communication or social issues** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to dismantle.” **Extended meaning:** “down barriers” adds the sense of removing obstacles or resistance. • _The initiative aims to break down barriers between different communities._ (The initiative aims to improve understanding and cooperation.) • _He worked hard to break down language barriers in the team._ (He improved communication between people speaking different languages.) 17. **break free** – **to escape from control or confinement** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to separate.” **Extended meaning:** “free” adds the sense of escaping from constraints. • _The animal broke free from its cage and ran into the forest._ (It escaped from the cage.) • _She broke free from the toxic relationship and started a new life._ (She escaped the negative relationship.) 18. **break apart** – **to separate into pieces or fragments** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to divide.” **Extended meaning:** “apart” adds the sense of splitting into distinct parts. • _The old chair finally broke apart after years of use._ (The chair came apart.) • _Their friendship broke apart after the argument._ (Their friendship ended.) 19. **break for** – **to make a sudden move toward something** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to move quickly.” **Extended meaning:** “for” adds the sense of heading toward a destination. • _When the bell rang, the students broke for the door._ (The students rushed to the door.) • _He broke for the exit as soon as the speech was over._ (He quickly headed for the exit.) 20. **break up into** – **to divide something into smaller sections or parts** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to separate.” **Extended meaning:** “up into” adds the sense of dividing into smaller components. • _The lesson was broken up into three parts._ (The lesson was divided into sections.) • _The company broke up into smaller departments._ (The company split into different units.) 21. **break out of** – **to escape from confinement or a difficult situation** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to escape.” **Extended meaning:** “out of” adds the sense of getting out of a difficult situation. • _The prisoners broke out of their cells during the night._ (They escaped from confinement.) • _She managed to break out of the cycle of poverty._ (She escaped a difficult financial situation.) 22. **break in (shoes)** – **to wear new shoes until they become comfortable** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to ease into something.” **Extended meaning:** “in” adds the sense of making something more comfortable through use. • _I need to break in these new boots before the hiking trip._ (The speaker wants to make the boots comfortable by wearing them.) • _She broke in her running shoes over the weekend._ (She wore the shoes to make them more comfortable.) 23. **break apart from** – **to separate or distance oneself from a situation or group** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to divide.” **Extended meaning:** “apart from” adds the sense of moving away or creating distance from something. • _He broke apart from the project due to creative differences._ (He separated himself from the project.) • _They broke apart from the main group to form their own team._ (They distanced themselves from the group.) 24. **break one’s heart** – **to cause deep emotional pain or sadness** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to cause harm or pain.” **Extended meaning:** “one’s heart” adds the sense of emotional hurt. • _It broke her heart to see her dog suffering._ (She felt deep emotional pain.) • _The news of the accident broke his heart._ (He was deeply saddened by the news.) 25. **break new ground** – **to innovate or do something that hasn’t been done before** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to start something new.” **Extended meaning:** “new ground” adds the sense of doing something innovative or groundbreaking. • _The researchers are breaking new ground in medical science._ (They are making new discoveries.) • _This artist broke new ground with her unique style of painting._ (She introduced a new and original art style.) 26. **break the silence** – **to start speaking after a period of quietness** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to interrupt or end.” **Extended meaning:** “the silence” adds the sense of speaking after a long period of quiet. • _After an awkward pause, she broke the silence with a joke._ (She was the first to speak after a quiet moment.) • _He finally broke the silence and apologized for his behavior._ (He spoke up after being silent for a while.) 27. **break loose** – **to become free from control or confinement** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to escape.” **Extended meaning:** “loose” adds the sense of becoming free from something that was holding or controlling. • _The dog broke loose from its leash and ran into the park._ (The dog freed itself from the leash.) • _She broke loose from her strict routine and took a spontaneous trip._ (She freed herself from her usual routine.) 28. **break off from** – **to separate or detach from a larger group or entity** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to detach.” **Extended meaning:** “off from” adds the sense of separating from a larger whole. • _A piece of ice broke off from the glacier._ (The ice detached from the glacier.) • _The band broke off from their label to become independent._ (The band separated from the record label.) 29. **break the bank** – **to spend a large amount of money** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to exhaust.” **Extended meaning:** “the bank” adds the sense of spending so much money that it strains finances. • _This new car won’t break the bank._ (The car isn’t too expensive.) • _That vacation could break the bank if you’re not careful with your spending._ (The vacation could be very costly.) 30. **break down walls** – **to remove barriers, especially social or emotional ones** **Base meaning:** “break” means “to dismantle.” **Extended meaning:** “down walls” adds the sense of removing obstacles or defenses. • _He broke down the walls between them by being honest about his feelings._ (He removed emotional barriers.) • _The team worked together to break down the walls of miscommunication._ (They overcame barriers to communication.) These 30 phrasal verbs with **break** demonstrate various ways the verb can be used to describe everything from ending relationships to overcoming obstacles or starting something new. The explanations and examples will help you understand how to use these phrasal verbs in different situations.