5 PHRASAL VERB If you break out in a rash or a sweat, a rash or sweat appears on your skin. □ [V P + in ] A person who is allergic to cashews may break out in a rash when he consumes these nuts. □ [V P + on ] A line of sweat broke out on her forehead and she thought she might faint.
▸ break through
1 PHRASAL VERB If you break through a barrier, you succeed in forcing your way through it. □ [V P n] Protesters tried to break through a police cordon. □ [V P + onto ] About fifteen inmates broke through onto the roof.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you break through , you achieve success even though there are difficulties and obstacles. □ [V P ] There is still scope for new writers to break through. □ [V P n] I broke through the poverty barrier and it was education that did it.
3 → see also breakthrough
▸ break up
1 PHRASAL VERB When something breaks up or when you break it up , it separates or is divided into several smaller parts. □ [V P ] There was a danger of the ship breaking up completely. □ [V P n] Break up the chocolate and melt it. □ [V n P + into ] He broke the bread up into chunks and gave Meer a big one. □ [V n P ] Tanks are strongly built. It is a complicated and difficult process to break them up.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you break up with your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife, your relationship with that person ends. □ [V P + with ] My girlfriend had broken up with me. □ [V P ] He felt appalled by the whole idea of marriage so we broke up.
3 PHRASAL VERB If a marriage breaks up or if someone breaks it up , the marriage ends and the partners separate. □ [V P ] MPs say they work too hard and that is why so many of their marriages break up. □ [V P n] Fred has given me no good reason for wanting to break up our marriage.
4 PHRASAL VERB When a meeting or gathering breaks up or when someone breaks it up , it is brought to an end and the people involved in it leave. □ [V P ] A neighbour asked for the music to be turned down and the party broke up. □ [V P n] Police used tear gas to break up a demonstration. □ [V n P ] He charged into the crowd. 'Break it up,' he shouted.
5 PHRASAL VERB When a school or the pupils in it break up , the school term ends and the pupils start their holidays. [BRIT ] □ [V P ] It's the last week before they break up, and they're doing all kinds of Christmas things.
6 PHRASAL VERB If you say that someone is breaking up when you are speaking to them on a mobile phone, you mean that you can only hear parts of what they are saying because the signal is interrupted. □ [V P ] The line's gone; I think you're breaking up.
7 → see also break-up
break|able /bre I kəb ə l/ (breakables ) ADJ [usu ADJ n] Breakable objects are easy to break by accident. □ Put away any valuable or breakable objects. ● N‑PLURAL Breakables are breakable objects. □ Keep breakables out of reach of very young children.
break|age /bre I k I dʒ/ (breakages )
1 N‑VAR Breakage is the act of breaking something. □ Brushing wet hair can cause stretching and breakage. □ Check that your insurance policy covers breakages and damage during removals.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] A breakage is something that has been broken. □ Check that everything is in good repair before moving in, as you have to replace breakages.
break|away /bre I kəwe I / ADJ [ADJ n] A breakaway group is a group of people who have separated from a larger group, for example because of a disagreement. □ Sixteen members of Parliament have formed a breakaway group.
break|down /bre I kdaʊn/ (breakdowns )
1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The breakdown of something such as a relationship, plan, or discussion is its failure or ending. □ [+ of ] …the breakdown of talks between the U.S. and E.U. officials. □ [+ of ] …the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage. [Also + in ]
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing, oft adj N ] If you have a breakdown , you become very depressed, so that you are unable to cope with your life. □ Obviously we were under a lot of stress. And I basically had a breakdown.
3 → see also nervous breakdown
4 N‑COUNT If a car or a piece of machinery has a breakdown , it stops working. □ Her old car was unreliable, so the trip was plagued by breakdowns.
5 N‑COUNT A breakdown of something is a list of its separate parts. □ [+ of ] The organisers were given a breakdown of the costs.
break|er /bre I kə r / (breakers )
1 N‑COUNT Breakers are big sea waves, especially at the point when they just reach the shore.
2 → see also ice-breaker , law-breaker , record-breaker , strike-breaker
break-e ven poi nt N‑SING When a company reaches break-even point , the money it makes from the sale of goods or services is just enough to cover the cost of supplying those goods or services, but not enough to make a profit. [BUSINESS ] □ $200 million was considered to be the break-even point for the film.
break|fast ◆◇◇ /bre kfəst/ (breakfasts , breakfasting , breakfasted )
1 N‑VAR Breakfast is the first meal of the day. It is usually eaten in the early part of the morning. □ What's for breakfast? □ …breakfast cereal.