Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

break

/bɹeɪk/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 5.18 in modern English

Syllables
break
IPA
/bɹeɪk/
11
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

To cause (a person or animal) to lose spirit or will; to crush the spirits of.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *bʰrégeti Proto-Germanic *brekaną Proto-West Germanic *brekan Old English brecan Middle English breken English break From Middle English breken, from Old English brecan (“to break”), from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”). Doublet of bray. Cognates Cognates of Germanic origin include Scots brek (“to break”), West Frisian brekke (“to break”), Dutch breken (“to break”), Low German breken (“to break”), German brechen (“to break”), French broyer (“to crush, grind”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (brikan, “to break, destroy”), Norwegian brek (“desire, yearning”). Also cognate with Albanian brishtë (“fragile”), Latin frangō (“break, break up, shatter”, verb), whence English fracture and other terms – fragile, frail, fraction, and fragment. The modern pronunciation shows an irregular change of Early Modern English /ɛː/ to /eɪ/ in the standard language; contrast this with the development of other words such as speak and wreak.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: breken, brecan, *brekan, *brekaną, *bʰreg-

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /bɹeɪk/
  • British English: /bɹeɪk/

Usage

Inflected Forms

breaks (present, singular) breaking (participle, present) broke (past) brake (archaic, past) broken (participle, past) broke (nonstandard, participle) no-table-tags (table tags) glossary (inflection template) broke (first person, past) breakest (archaic, present) broke (past, second person) brokest (archaic, past)

Derived Forms

bebreak breakability breakable breakage breakaway breakback breakbeat breakbone breakdance breakdown breakee breaker

Phrases

a stick in a bundle cannot be broken a twig in a bundle cannot be broken back-breaking break a butterfly on a wheel break a butterfly on the wheel break a butterfly upon a wheel break a butterfly upon the wheel break a fly on a wheel

Frequently Paired Words

breaker

Synonyms

split breach gap space break interlapse interspace interstice interstitium opening separation hole

Homonyms

brake

Antonyms

assemble fix join mend put together repair hold

Rhymes With

make take lake wake mistake fake cake sake shake snake jake blake

Questions

How do you pronounce break?
The recorded pronunciation is /bɹeɪk/.
What does break mean?
To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.
Where does break come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce break

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “break”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/bɹeɪk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “break”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “break” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.