Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

break the mold

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.75 in modern English

Syllables: break the -mold
IPA

24

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

2

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To depart from a traditional pattern; to defy convention.

verb

To make it impossible for an identical copy to be made.

Example Sentences

"A man has to be what he is, Joey. Can't break the mould. I tried it and it didn't work for me."
"President Bush joined in; his 1991 education message called for new kinds of schools, ones that "broke the mold"."
"Middle-aged and scarred, a Mexican journalist is breaking the mold of social media influencers with a message of pure positivity that resonates in dark times."
"When they made that one, they broke the mold."
"When God made her, He broke the mold."
"When they made him, they broke the mold. lt was a cliche that had been spoken about any number of men, for any number of different reasons."

Etymology

From the use of molds to make multiple replicas of solid objects using moldable materials.

Inflected Forms

breaks the mold (present, singular) breaking the mold (participle, present) broke the mold (past) broken the mold (participle, past) break the mould (alternative)

Phrases

old school they don't make them like that anymore

Frequently Paired Words

old school they don't make them like that anymore

Questions

What does break the mold mean?: To depart from a traditional pattern; to defy convention.
Where does break the mold come from?: From the use of molds to make multiple replicas of solid objects using moldable materials.

How to pronounce break the mold

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