/breɪk ||; brek/verb
(
past tense broke /brəʊk
||; brok/
past participle broken /ˈbrəʊkən
||; ˈbrokən/)
1 [I,T] to separate, or make sth separate, into two or more pieces (使)破,碎:
She dropped the vase onto the floor and it broke. 她把花瓶掉在地上摔破了。
He broke his leg in a car accident. 他在交通事故中摔断了腿。
☞picture at chip 见 chip 插图
2 [I,T] (used about a machine, etc) to stop working; to stop a machine, etc working (指机器等)失灵;弄坏:
The photocopier has broken. 复印机坏了。
Be careful with my camera -- I don't want you to break it. 我这部照相机你要拿稳,别把它砸坏了。
3 [T] to do sth that is against the law, or against what has been agreed or promised 违反(法律、诺言等):
to break the law/rules/speed limit 犯法;违规;超速
Don't worry -- I never break my promises. 放心好了,我从不食言。
4 [I,T] to stop doing sth for a short time 稍作停顿;停歇:
Let's break for coffee now. 我们现在歇一歇喝杯咖啡吧。
We decided to break the journey and stop for lunch. 我们决定歇歇腿吃午饭。
5 [T] to make sth end 使结束;使终止:
Once you start smoking it's very difficult to break the habit. 一旦开始吸烟,就很难戒除。
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of a bird singing. 突然间,一只小鸟的歌声打破了四周的寂静。
6 [I] to begin 开始:
The day was breaking as I left the house. 我离开那房子时已经晨光初露。
We ran indoors when the storm broke. 突然风雨大作,我们都往屋里躲。
When the story broke in the newspapers, nobody could believe it. 这件事由报章传开的时候,人人都感到难以置信。
7 [I] (used about a wave) to reach its highest point and begin to fall (指海浪)冲击:
I watched the waves breaking on the rocks. 我观看了惊涛拍岸的情景。
8 [I] (used about the voice) to change suddenly (指嗓音)突然变化;变声:
Most boys' voices break when they are 13 or 14 years old. 大多数男孩子到了13、14岁的时候嗓音变粗。
His voice was breaking with emotion as he spoke. 他说话时因情绪激动而声音有变。
For idioms containing break, look at the entries for nouns, adjectives, etc. For example, break even is at even. 含 break 的习语,参看有关名词、形容词等词条,如 break even 可参看词条 even。
break away (from sb/sth)
1 to escape suddenly from sb who is holding you 逃脱
2 to leave a political party, state, etc in order to form a new one 脱离(政党、国家等)另立门户
break down
1 (used about a vehicle or machine) to stop working (指车或机器)失灵:
Akram's car broke down on the way to work this morning. 今早阿克拉姆的车子在上班途中抛了锚。
2 (used about a system, discussion, etc) to fail (指制度、会谈等)崩溃,破裂:
Talks between the two countries have completely broken down. 两国之间的谈判完全破裂。
3 to lose control of your feelings and start crying (无法控制情绪而)哭起来:
He broke down in tears when he heard the news. 他听到这个消息就禁不住哭了起来。
break sth down
1 to destroy sth by using force 捣毁;撞毁:
The police had to break down the door to get into the house. 警方不得不破门而入。
2 to make a substance separate into parts or change into a different form in a chemical process 分解:
Food is broken down in our bodies by the digestive system. 食物在我们体内由消化系统分解。
break in to enter a building by force, usually in order to steal sth 闯入房子(通常指进行盗窃)
break in (on sth) to interrupt when sb else is speaking 打断别人的话;打岔:
The waiter broke in on our conversation to tell me I had a phone call. 服务员打断我们的谈话,说我有电话。
break into sth
1 to enter a place that is closed 闯入(关闭的地方):
Thieves broke into his car and stole the radio. 窃贼闯进他的汽车偷走了收音机。 (figurative 比喻)
The company is trying to break into the Japanese market. 公司正试图打进日本市场。
2 to start doing sth suddenly 突然有某种举动:
to break into song/a run 突然放声歌唱/拔腿就跑
break off to suddenly stop doing or saying sth 突然停止做某事;突然住口:
He started speaking and then broke off in the middle of a sentence. 他开始说话,但说了一半便停了下来。
break (sth) off to remove a part of sth by force; to be removed in this way (使)折断,脱落:
Could you break off another bit of chocolate for me? 可不可以给我再掰一小块巧克力?
break sth off to end a relationship suddenly 突然中止某种关系:
After a bad argument, they decided to break off their engagement. 他们俩发生激烈争执后,决定解除婚约。
break out (used about fighting, wars, fires, etc) to start suddenly (指斗殴、战争、火灾等)突然发生,爆发
break out in sth to suddenly have a skin problem 皮肤突然出疹:
to break out in spots/a rash 出红斑;发皮疹
break out (of sth) to escape from a prison, etc 逃出(监狱等)
break through (sth) to manage to get past sth that is stopping you 冲破;突破:
The protesters were trying to break through the line of police. 抗议的人试图冲破警方的封锁线。
break up
1 (used about events that involve a group of people) to end or finish (指一群人参与的活动)结束,告终,完成:
The meeting broke up just before lunch. 会议就在午饭前结束。
2 (Brit 英) to start school holidays 学校开始放假:
When do you break up for the summer holidays? 你什么时候放暑假?
break up (with sb) to end a relationship with a wife, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend 跟(某人)断绝关系;与(某人)分手:
She's broken up with her boyfriend. 她跟男朋友分手了。
break (sth) up to separate into parts (使)分成若干部份:
The ship broke up on the rocks. 这船撞在岩石上,断成几截了。
break sth up to end an event by separating the people who are involved in it (驱散群众)结束活动:
The police arrived and broke up the fight. 警方到场驱散群众,平息殴斗。
break with sth to end a relationship or connection with sb/sth 断绝关系或联系:
to break with tradition/the past 摒弃传统;与过去决裂