▸ break away
1 PHRASAL VERB If you break away from someone who is trying to hold you or catch you, you free yourself and run away. □ [V P + from ] I broke away from him and rushed out into the hall. □ [V P ] Willie Hamilton broke away early in the race.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you break away from something or someone that restricts you or controls you, you succeed in freeing yourself from them. □ [V P + from ] Many contemporary designers have tried to break away from classical formal patterns.
▸ break down
1 PHRASAL VERB If a machine or a vehicle breaks down , it stops working. □ [V P ] Their car broke down.
2 PHRASAL VERB If a discussion, relationship, or system breaks down , it fails because of a problem or disagreement. □ [V P ] Talks with business leaders broke down last night. □ [V P ] Paola's marriage broke down.
3 PHRASAL VERB To break down something such as an idea or statement means to separate it into smaller parts in order to make it easier to understand or deal with. □ [V P n] The report breaks down the results region by region. □ [be V -ed P + into ] These rules tell us how a sentence is broken down into phrases. [Also V n P + into ]
4 PHRASAL VERB When a substance breaks down or when something breaks it down , a biological or chemical process causes it to separate into the substances which make it up. □ [V P ] Over time, the protein in the eggshell breaks down into its constituent amino acids. □ [V n P ] The oil is attacked by naturally occurring microbes which break it down. [Also V P n]
5 PHRASAL VERB If someone breaks down , they lose control of themselves and start crying. □ [V P ] Because he was being so kind and concerned, I broke down and cried.
6 PHRASAL VERB If you break down a door or barrier, you hit it so hard that it falls to the ground. □ [V P n] An unruly mob broke down police barricades and stormed the courtroom. □ [V n P ] Firefighters were called after his father failed to break the door down.
7 PHRASAL VERB To break down barriers or prejudices that separate people or restrict their freedom means to change people's attitudes so that the barriers or prejudices no longer exist. [APPROVAL ] □ [V P n] His early experience enabled him to break down barriers between Scottish Catholics and Protestants. [Also V n P ]
8 → see also breakdown , broken-down
▸ break in
1 PHRASAL VERB If someone, usually a thief, breaks in , they get into a building by force. □ [V P ] Masked robbers broke in and made off with $8,000.
2 → see also break-in
3 PHRASAL VERB If you break in on someone's conversation or activity, you interrupt them. □ [V P + on ] O'Leary broke in on his thoughts. □ [V P ] Mrs Southern listened keenly, occasionally breaking in with pertinent questions. □ [V P with quote] 'She told you to stay here,' Mike broke in.
4 PHRASAL VERB If you break someone in , you get them used to a new job or situation. □ [V P n] The band are breaking in a new backing vocalist. [Also V n P ]
5 PHRASAL VERB If you break in something new, you gradually use or wear it for longer and longer periods until it is ready to be used or worn all the time. □ [V P n] When breaking in an engine, you should refrain from high speed for the first thousand miles. [Also V n P ]
▸ break into
1 PHRASAL VERB If someone breaks into a building, they get into it by force. □ [V P n] There was no one nearby who might see him trying to break into the house.
2 PHRASAL VERB If someone breaks into something they suddenly start doing it. For example if someone breaks into a run they suddenly start running, and if they break into song they suddenly start singing. □ [V P n] The moment she was out of sight she broke into a run. □ [V P n] Then, breaking into a smile, he said, 'I brought you something.'
3 PHRASAL VERB If you break into a profession or area of business, especially one that is difficult to succeed in, you manage to have some success in it. □ [V P n] She finally broke into films after an acclaimed stage career.
▸ break off
1 PHRASAL VERB If part of something breaks off or if you break it off , it comes off or is removed by force. □ [V P ] The two wings of the aircraft broke off on impact. □ [V P n] Grace broke off a large piece of the clay. □ [V n P n] They've torn down wooden fences and broken branches off trees. [Also V n P ]
2 PHRASAL VERB If you break off when you are doing or saying something, you suddenly stop doing it or saying it. □ [V P ] Llewelyn broke off in mid-sentence. □ [V P n] He broke off the summit meeting before it had got properly started. [Also V n P ]
3 PHRASAL VERB If someone breaks off a relationship, they end it. □ [V P n] The two West African states had broken off relations two years ago. □ [V n P + with ] He doesn't seem to have the courage to break it off with her.
▸ break out
1 PHRASAL VERB If something such as war, fighting, or disease breaks out , it begins suddenly. □ [V P ] He was 29 when war broke out. □ [V P ] I was in a nightclub in Brixton and a fight broke out.
2 PHRASAL VERB If a prisoner breaks out of a prison, they escape from it. □ [V P + of ] The two men broke out of their cells and cut through a perimeter fence. [Also V P ]
3 → see also breakout
4 PHRASAL VERB If you break out of a dull situation or routine, you manage to change it or escape from it. □ [V P + of ] It's taken a long time to break out of my own conventional training. □ [V P ] I'm afraid to break out and do anything dramatic.