Home English to Spanish break

Translation of break in Spanish:

break

romper, v.

Pronunciation /breɪk/

transitive verb broke, broken

  • 1

    (window/plate/rope) romper
    (twig/stick) partir
    (twig/stick) romper
    (twig/stick) quebrar Latin America
    I've broken my pencil — se me ha roto la punta del lápiz
    • they broke a hole in the fence — abrieron una brecha en la valla
    • she broke the chocolate into four pieces — partió el chocolate en cuatro trozos
    • he broke his wrist playing rugby — se rompió la muñeca jugando al rugby
    • I broke a tooth/my nail — se me rompió / partió un diente/la uña
    • The cup broke under the strain.
    • His brows creased as he tried to break a piece of chocolate and he smiled when he broke it off.
    • The crew survived, but the aircraft exploded when its payload of munitions blew up breaking the windows of many local houses in the blast.
    • I broke it into small pieces and put it in a bowl.
    • At the head of the table, he broke pieces of bread into his soup with trembling hands.
    • Most of the rubbish was polystyrene and the children were just breaking it into small pieces and strewing it all over the ground, and we all know what a mess this material makes when broken.
    • Take four eggs and break each one separately in a saucer to test for quality before adding to the sugar and beat until the mix is creamy.
    • The mirror had been broken, its shattered pieces falling onto the wooden chest and green carpeting.
    • I tore off a tiny piece and it broke every time I stretched it.
    • Six ropes had been broken and small trees around had all been pulled down.
    • We then come to the mast's boom that has broken into two pieces over the ship's hull.
    • She ran to the vending machines and broke the glass.
    • With a few quick steps, she grasped the extinguisher, and rammed it into the glass door of the vending machine, breaking the glass.
    • Frank broke a handful of crackers into his soup.
    • ‘The men then tied a tow rope to the machine and broke the security housing around it,’ added Mr Patel.
    • Her metal harness buckle breaks and she plunges to her death.
    • After a drawn-out moment, the barrier surrounding me broke.
    • A flood wall broke and water is flooding the city at an alarming rate.
    • The car was stolen after a thief broke a window at Mr Westwood's home, taking his car keys and mobile telephone.
    • She scribbled answers hard on the paper, constantly breaking the lead of her mechanical pencil.

  • 2

    (render useless)
    (machine/radio) romper
    (machine/radio) descomponer Latin America
    • Right now, we've broken two bubble machines and have to buy a third one.
    • However, in the ensuing minutes there was an argument, during which the sewing machine got broken.
    • Someone broke the machine by jamming pencils in to it.
    • The video then shows him break the camera and the picture goes dead.
    • He thinks he broke the machine when he accidentally minimized a window.
    • They protested against the factories by breaking the machines.
    • When she went back in after the last strike days she discovered that whoever had been trying to operate her machine had broken it instead.
    • Her video camera broke, and they took shelter in the women's restroom to work on it.
    • Second, I check whether I'm still able to judge speed and distance accurately by making sure I can get my car key in the door lock without breaking it or scratching the paintwork too much.
    • It would seem like the sort of machine you'd break just by turning it off.
    • If he didn't watch what he was doing, he really was going to break one of these machines.
    • We should simply break the machines and return to our caves.
    • The ticket machine had broken and the punters were advised to pay on the train.
    • When the washing machine broke he fixed it so well it washed the clothes twice as fast, and picked up National Radio.
    • To their credit, the locals at first rebelled by breaking the machine so that no one could pay, but over time the revolution vanished like sand through so many fists.
    • He turned and knocked the machine over breaking it.
    • And, just to add insult to injury, I've even broken his bloody coffee machine!
    • If your washing machine breaks it will be guaranteed.
    • I just figured some machine broke causing a big power outage.
    • My wife is emphatic about having to wear a certain outfit she pulled from the dirty clothes hamper to the party we have been invited to later, so, of course, the washing machine breaks.

  • 3

    (violate)
    (rule/regulation) infringir
    (rule/regulation) violar
    (promise) no cumplir
    (promise) faltar a
    (appointment) faltar a
    (appointment) no acudir a
    (contract) incumplir
    (contract) romper
    → law,
    word
    to break a strike — romper una huelga
    • Traders who break the law by selling to children risk a £5,000 fine and six months imprisonment.
    • ‘Many doctors did not realise they were breaking the law by failing to seek the consent of relatives,’ he reported.
    • I observe how society keeps breaking the rules.
    • And police are urging people to call them if they suspect someone is regularly breaking the law by drink-driving.
    • Do you regularly break the rules or minor laws rather than put up with the frustration of obeying them?
    • The company failed to meet deadline requirements and broke the agreements.
    • This past summer, the legislature broke the agreement.
    • These players are breaking the rules.
    • I turn now to the matter of fines for such things as wilful desertion, breaking lease, breaking the agreement, or failing to attend the tribunal or mediation.
    • If the country were a separate member of the European Union, it would be facing certain prosecution for breaking environmental law.
    • It seems there's little incentive to adhere to the law, especially when breaking the rules makes such good business sense.
    • What the judges, politicians and others concerned need to remember is a burglar is breaking the law and must be prosecuted.
    • Agreements are broken, witnesses held in contempt, there is respect for no one.
    • They're certainly breaking their contractual agreement with the bank by participating in these rebate schemes.
    • Police say that anyone caught breaking the law could be liable for prosecution or given an official warning.
    • He said he believed it was impossible to do the journey in under 10 hours unless he broke the speed limit.
    • He walked free from court after a jury cleared him of breaking the Official Secrets Act.
    • The authorities will be able to deport a harmless Egyptian cabbie who came to Britain as an economic migrant, for breaking immigration rules.
    • Clubs could choose to terminate contracts, if players break them.
    • At an emotional news conference, members of the women's eight apologised for breaking national Olympic rules and expressed regret at condemning their team mate.

  • 4

    (put an end to)
    (deadlock/impasse) salir de
    (habit) dejar
    (drug ring) desarticular
    the Romans could not break their power — los romanos no pudieron quebrantar su poder / no pudieron abatirlos
    • Really wanting to break this bad habit is the first step to stopping.
    • The Canadian Cancer Society is urging smokers trying to quit to plan out how they are going to break their habit.
    • We would have to break old habits that perhaps were once useful, but don't serve their purpose anymore.
    • Also, of course, there is the reality that 20 or 30 years of habit are not broken in a fortnight.
    • So don't feel guilty if your new habits are broken at certain times.
    • The pamphlet offered nothing about breaking habits.
    • I suggest you pick a few of your unhealthy eating habits, and give yourself a month to work on breaking those habits.
    • You are attempting something that is inherently very difficult: breaking old habits.
    • Here are some methods for breaking old habits and creating new, desirable ones.
    • How do you break habits when you're not as confident in the new methods, or at least in your skill with using them?
    • It took a long time - and a lot of support - for him to break his habit, and he still doesn't feel like the person he was.
    • She shrugged it off and told herself it would take some time to break her old habits.
    • Honestly, a course isn't going to help break the bad habits that caused the problem in the first place.
    • If you spot smoking triggers write down how you could deal with them if you were to stop smoking - a good way to break a habit is to replace it with a new one.
    • Imagine how hard it must be to break a habit that's lasted ten years.
    • I never managed to break the teenage habit of jiggling my legs and fidgeting when I have to sit still for a long time.
    • For adults over 25, many doctors regard it as too late to break their eating habits and make them fit and lean again.
    • In the course of the 1980s, the recognition of nicotine addiction offered an explanation of the difficulty experienced by some in breaking the smoking habit.
    • Old habits are hard to break.
    • The addictions would probably be easier to break once she began to deal with what had happened to her.
    • They know that this could break the movement and we are afraid that it will work.
    • The bourgeoisie are agreed that the only solution is a dictatorship that crushes and breaks the workers' movement.
    • Government indifference and racist violence did not break the movement - in fact it radicalised it.
    • True, he broke the power of the trade unions but the result was near total economic collapse.
    • It was also viewed by its architects as a way to break the power of the elite, who are still very much in control.

  • 5

    • 5.1(ruin)

      (person/company) arruinar a
      • When I look at her I just think that at some point her spirit was broken and then, well, this is what became of her.
      • Anne's spirit could not be broken.
      • She was going to prove he hadn't broken her spirit.
      • However you see the work, its implication is that the spirit cannot be broken.
      • Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts her efficiency.
      • They're breaking them, their spirit, their minds, their psyche.
      • If they thought that would break my spirit, they got it wrong.
      • They remember being kept desperately hungry all the time, as part of a ploy to break their spirits.
      • I write this letter as a mother, a mother whose spirit is broken, a mother who has to keep her child in the house in fear of losing her.
      • You've stolen his dignity, shattered his emotions and broken his spirit, how much more do you want?
      • After months with no sales, his spirit was broken and he gave up.
      • But it stands to reason that if your spirit is broken by misery and the side effects of treatment, then you will not do well.
      • She had seen many things there that broke her spirit and took away her faith in humanity, but knew that there was still good left in the world.
      • There is little that life can throw at him which can break his spirit.
      • The rest of us suffer while they try to break our spirits and brainwash us.
      • These were trials that would have broken the spirit of most people.
      • You broke my heart much like you broke the spirits of your people.
      • Such privations by no means broke the spirit of the people.
      • While they were successful in obtaining Rich's resignation, they could not break his spirit.

    • 5.2(crush)

      (person) destrozar
      (person) deshacer
      heart, spirit, will

    • 5.3(demote)

      rebajar de grado
      degradar

  • 6

    (impart)
    to break sth (to sb)

  • 7

    (exceed)
    to break the sound barrier — romper / atravesar la barrera del sonido

  • 8

    • 8.1(interrupt)

      (circuit/beam) cortar
      (fast/silence) romper
      • ‘Melissa,’ said Matthew breaking the silence and speaking for the first time since the fight had started.
      • She felt it was her job to break the silence between the two.
      • A father of two has broken his silence after keeping his sighting of a ghost 15 years ago at Woodville Halls Theatre a fearful secret.
      • The actress has broken her silence about the whirlwind romance.
      • She has broken her silence to speak of her determination to return to the post she has held for the past 10 years.
      • At last, he broke the silence: ‘What are you writing about these days, anyway?’
      • Then an unknown pilot broke the silence and asked, ‘Wasn't I married to you once?’
      • But it was not until last summer that she broke her silence and called her former lover, when she feared biographers would unearth the details.
      • He recently broke his silence, admitting that he went to England after losing his job in Paris and had tried to commit suicide.
      • More recently the firm broke its silence and revealed he had been hit by a viral infection and would not be back at work until May 10.
      • Yesterday, she broke her silence on the whispering campaign against her.
      • She decided to break her silence because she thought it was the only way the council would listen to her concerns even though it meant sacrificing her job.
      • The coroner has urged those who know the names of the killers to break their silence.
      • And now that they have broken their silence, it is hoped that others will find the courage to do the same.
      • My mother broke the silence with a question, ‘Do you live nearby?’
      • The former girlfriend of a man accused of murder admitted yesterday that she broke her silence about the killing after police threatened to implicate her.
      • Police were alerted to the abuse around 20 years after it was carried out when the victim broke his silence.
      • A staff member caught up in the raid broke his silence on the experience yesterday.
      • Now he breaks his silence about the flawed evidence.
      • Liam did not break his silence over the abuse until two years ago.
      • By bouncing, the reed breaks an electrical circuit.
      • If either voltage or current is too big you could break the circuit.
      • A switch works by breaking the circuit, which stops the current.
      • A circuit breaker has a mechanism for automatically breaking an electrical circuit.
      • Everyone has a part to play in breaking this vicious cycle.
      • We have to break this vicious cycle between drug dependency and crime.
      • They must start to break their sequence of drawn games and start winning consistently if they are to retain their title.
      • We can then break the poverty cycle by giving these disadvantaged children opportunities to get work and employment.
      • Generally, if a week is not one of employment, continuity is broken, so that the employee has to start again to pick up continuity.
      • It means forgiving those who have hurt you and breaking the cycle of abuse.
      • Imprisonment does not break the cycle of offending and addiction.
      • Then came metal hulls and steam power, and the historical line of continuity was broken.
      • The solitude was broken, bizarrely, by bumping into Michael Palin and his film crew working on their next project in the Hoggar Mountains.
      • The schools offer a possible way of breaking the cycle of illiteracy.
      • The key to breaking the cycle is to boost demand and take up the slack in the economy.
      • Ballet had created continuity in my life, but now that the left side of my body did not serve me, the continuity was broken.
      • England's win against West Indies last year broke a sequence of nine decisive matches which were all won by the team fielding first.
      • After a long pause he broke the tranquility again
      • Your slumbers are broken bright and early with a cup of tea brought to your tent.
      • Max yelled, raised one eyebrow, paused for effect, breaking the rhythm.
      • We found it worth venturing into Woolacombe to break the routine.
      • He will enlist the help of three minders to clear his path and stop the crowd breaking his concentration.
      • The team broke its five-game losing streak.
      • Theo, his concentration finally broken, stopped typing and looked up.

    • 8.2(split up, divide)

      (set/collection) deshacer
      (word) separar
      (word) dividir

    • 8.3(disrupt, upset)

      (pattern/continuity/monotony) romper

  • 9

    (breach, pierce)
    (soil) roturar
    I haven't broken the skin — no me he abierto la piel
    • the submarine broke the surface of the water — el submarino afloró a la superficie

  • 10

    • 10.1(get into)

      (safe) forzar
      • The maid broke the safe and stole money and jewellery.
      • They broke the safe in the Accounts Section and made away with the day's receipts.
      • If a burglar breaks the safe and steals the guns, I won't be held responsible for their criminal use because I did what I reasonably could to secure them.

    • 10.2US (escape from)

      (jail) escaparse de
      (jail) fugarse de

    • 10.3(decipher)

      (code) descifrar
      • We have a large exhibit on World War II cipher machines and the machines that broke the enemy's codes.
      • When all the analyses were ready, the code was broken.
      • Then you have to spend time breaking the code and making your own key, which only lets you hotwire the vehicle.
      • I feel that I am very close to breaking the code.
      • But if you could factor large numbers then you could break these codes.
      • This was discovered by an astute cryptanalyst at Central Bureau and in April 1943 that code was broken.
      • They were desperately looking for any clue that would help them break the code.
      • He starts to punch in numbers at random in an attempt to break the code and patch into the system.
      • At that point they'd broken the code, and they told people whether or not they'd received cells.
      • While attempting to break the Nazi codes, his character becomes obsessed with finding the woman he loves.
      • It was created in 1943 to break German codes.
      • In an interactive lecture, he then examined the tricks used to break such codes.
      • There then follows a long and tedious account of how they broke the enigma code.
      • It would be a bit unfair to offer clues right now, if someone is close to breaking the code.
      • Another way to become rich and famous is to devise, or break a code.
      • Here is where Alan Turing broke the codes that maybe won the second world war.
      • I started trying to break the code and was getting nowhere.
      • Well done to all who managed to break the code yesterday!
      • It's a computer program that's used to break ciphers.
      • There is little doubt that trying to break simple codes enhances one's understanding of cryptography.

  • 11

    (change)
    cambiar
    can anyone break this $50 bill? — ¿alguien me puede cambiar este billete de 50?
    • The hot spell had broken and now the weather was bearable again.
    • The heatwave broke and it was gorgeous running weather this morning.
    • The hot weather has definitely broken and it's jumpers before sunset, but only just before.
    • When the weather broke, a strong, cooling wind came up, and Dolly and I were much more comfortable than of late.
    • Fearing a curse, the townspeople fled in terror as soon as the weather broke.
    • He said he was not worried about the weekend's sunny weather breaking as there was plenty of room to shelter from showers in the stands.
    • The weather broke on 3 September, and clouds of dust were turned into glutinous mud.
    • The main reason for the haste was the weather which could have broken at any time bringing all haulage work on the soft bog to an end.
    • That meant withholding some of the farmers' irrigation water and sending it downriver - at least until the drought broke.
    • Even so, I managed to do it, even as the first rains of the season broke across the South Bay.
    • This great weather is sure to break soon so lets all enjoy it while it lasts.
    • The rain breaks long enough for me to dash to the supermarket.
    • If the drought has now broken, why are you predicting this food crisis will last until April?
    • And in the meantime the drought has broken and the farmers are clamouring for seed so they can get a crop.
    • The drought has broken again, just when everyone wondered if it ever would.
    • Soon afterward, the drought broke and the area teemed once more with life.
    • The heatwave has broken, the temperature has dropped, the sun has clouded over and the pavements are wet.
    • This drought broke emphatically in February 1973, with exceptional rainfall over South Australia and the eastern states.
    • Impatiently we wait for the weather to break, for we know all too well how much work needs to be done.
    • This morning, in Winchester, the dry spell broke and there was rain.

  • 12

    (open)
    (shotgun/revolver) abrir

  • 13

    (tame)
    (horse) domar

intransitive verb broke, broken

  • 1

    • 1.1

      (window/plate) romperse
      (rope/shoelace) romperse
      (twig/stick) partirse
      (twig/stick) romperse
      (twig/stick) quebrarse Latin America
      my watch broke — se me rompió el reloj
      • her tooth/nail broke — se le rompió / partió el diente/la uña
      • it broke into several pieces — se hizo pedazos
      • it breaks into squares — se parte en cuadrados

    • 1.2(separate)

      the clouds are breaking — se está despejando
      • a splinter group which broke from the party — un grupo disidente que se escindió del partido
      free

    • 1.3Sport

      (boxers/fighters) separarse
      • The ref was not between the fighters but he was instructing them to break.
      • He possibly could have cautioned him for holding and hitting as well, or he could have simply ordered them to break.
      • He said the first damaging blow came after the referee had told them to break and stop punching.

  • 2

    (give in)
    (resistance) desmoronarse
    (resistance) venirse abajo
    she broke under constant interrogation — no resistió el constante interrogatorio
    • the soldiers broke and ran — los soldados rompieron filas y echaron a correr
    • Her control broke and she hit him hard across the face.
    • The words died on her tongue, and all of her well-trained control broke.
    • Once in his room, Tony's fragile control broke, tears quickly blinding him.
    • The phone clicked back into place as Jackie crumpled onto the floor, her composure finally breaking.

  • 3

    • 3.1(begin)

      (storm/crisis) estallar
      (day) romper
      (day) apuntar
      (day) despuntar
      • A mild thunderstorm has just broken out over west London, minutes after I got home.
      • On the way to the airport, a colossal thunderstorm broke.
      • A huge thunderstorm broke over St. George's early this morning.
      • As he climbed into his campaign bus a thunderstorm broke over the city.
      • A storm broke, sending them home early, but they got caught crossing a rapidly rising creek.
      • They left and soon after the storm broke.
      • However, at that same moment, a thunderstorm broke loose around them.
      • The storm broke as she arrived at the house, and the sudden downpour soaked her between the taxi and the front door.
      • Looking down from the mouth of the pass, I could see now that a lot of our members wouldn't make it before the storm broke.
      • The sudden thunderstorm broke at approximately 4.30 pm caused flooding of up to two feet in some areas.
      • As I headed toward the forest, a tremendous thunderstorm broke.
      • People walked by on the sidewalks, running errands, trying to get home before the storm broke.
      • As soon as they had left the field, the storm broke and there was torrential rain.
      • Just after I left the site a huge thunderstorm broke over Greensboro which continued through the dusk.
      • During the night a storm broke, and the bungalow leaked badly.
      • While we were dining in the hotel's restaurant the usual evening thunderstorm broke, along with a blinding downpour.
      • Whales were almost completely absent the day before a storm broke, and the numbers migrating slowly increased once it was over.
      • But just as the Queen was about to arrive in her carriage a thunderstorm broke, forcing everyone to run for cover.
      • The storm broke the next morning.
      • On August 20 a terrific hurricane broke over the mountains.
      • When day broke, the summer dawn could not penetrate the leaden gloom above the city.
      • Dawn was breaking as Marie rose from her first restful night's sleep in two weeks.
      • Dawn was a few hours away but when the day broke he knew his cover wouldn't last for long.
      • When dawn broke, he rose stiffly, and stretched his aching limbs.
      • Americans will be at their desks on Christmas Eve and back, as ever, when dawn breaks on Boxing Day.
      • I was woken by dawn breaking.
      • Once I witnessed the dawn breaking as I went out to check a sickly lamb.
      • Numerous teams of volunteers set off armed with litter-pickers and bags as dawn was breaking.
      • Seagulls from Cork harbour were flying overhead and the dawn was breaking.
      • Dawn began to break as we approached Cape May, New Jersey, and soon the sun was up.
      • Birds started singing because they thought dawn had broken.
      • By the time dawn broke over the notorious stretch of the Lancashire coast any chance of survival had ebbed away for those still out at sea.
      • The journey down wasn't too bad and I only started to notice the traffic as I crossed the Severn Bridge as dawn was breaking.
      • Police cordoned off the area overnight and as dawn broke, forensic investigations began at the crime scene.
      • As day broke, the eyes of news outlets were focused on New Orleans, the biggest city threatened by the storm and the city with the biggest potential for disaster.
      • Dawn was breaking, and the pale pink sunrise brushed its fingers of light over everything.
      • When dawn began to break, I guarded the controls and let my pilot continue with the approach.
      • As day broke, the sun came out, and so did the insects.
      • Dawn broke and weak light filtered over the horizon.
      • Daylight began to break, as tired pastel rays of sunlight fell upon Anna's face.

    • 3.2(change)

      (weather) cambiar
      his voice is breaking — le está cambiando / mudando la voz
      • his voice broke — se le entrecortó la voz

    • 3.3(become known)

      (story) hacerse público
      (scandal) estallar
      (scandal) hacerse público
      • He is said to have been regularly in tears since news of the scandal broke.
      • Since news of the scandal broke, the company has been forced to fire two of its executives and to demand the resignation of its chairman.
      • A federal investigator was on campus within 48 hours after news broke about the scandal.
      • Members of the club's senior team were on route to Athenry for the match when news of the tragedy broke.
      • Some of the women were released after the scandal broke.
      • When news of the riots broke, there was obviously significant coverage given to the story by UK broadcast media.
      • News of the latest scandal broke on Sunday, just weeks after South Africa won the right to stage the 2010 soccer World Cup.
      • At home in Harrogate, Leon's mother watched as news of the disaster broke, knowing of her son's plan to dive on Boxing Day.
      • When the news broke on Wednesday, the Treasury took refuge in the fact that it was budget day to excuse the fact that it had nothing to say.
      • Later, when the tragic news broke, we agreed to put on the fundraising event.
      • Once the news broke, emails and phone calls started pouring in from well-wishers.
      • I am angrier today than I was when this scandal broke.
      • ‘It's amazing that until this news broke there was no talk about the Olympic Games,’ he said.
      • The news broke that London would host the Olympic Games.
      • Anyone who was around at that time but not directly involved in the madness can remember where they were and what they were doing when the shocking news broke.
      • Indeed, the Presidential Palace has remained notably tight-lipped since the scandal broke.
      • Yet from the moment the story broke every paper seems to be finding multiple sources who are willing to talk freely about minute details of the case.
      • When the revelations regarding his alleged misconduct broke, the paper clearly felt itself under immense pressure.
      • That morning a story had broken in the papers that made the former Premier the journalistic prey of the day.
      • After the story broke, leading papers including the New York Times picked it up.

  • 4

    (strike)
    (wave/surf) romper
    the waves were breaking against the sea wall — las olas rompían contra el dique
    • Even in calm seas, the waves breaking over a reef are dangerous.
    • Turning his face towards the sea, he watched the low waves breaking on the sea wall.
    • His pace was brisk and he did not seem to appreciate the music of the sea waves breaking against the parapet.
    • In creative visualization, the meditator forms a mental picture that conveys relaxation, such as waves breaking gently on the sand.
    • It's like going out into the sea and letting the waves break over you.
    • Waves broke against the dark rocks to her left, and foamed and swirled like a jacuzzi.
    • Waves broke constantly over the deck, washing whole groups of terrified passengers overboard.
    • These waves break far from the shore, and the surf gently rolls over the front of the wave.
    • As each wave breaks over the sand, it brings in a fresh cargo of wriggling fish to the shore.
    • The waves sparkled as they broke against the sea wall.
    • They could see huge waves breaking over the main harbour and tossing ships about like tiny corks.
    • We were standing near the beach watching the embers of someone else's fire and listening to waves break on the shingle.
    • The beach is wide and large and the waves break far out.
    • The image most people have of a tsunami is a large, steep wave breaking on the shore.
    • The wave breaks over my head, but I'm still upright.
    • It is a bit windy but the waves are breaking nicely.
    • Standing on the cliff, you see the waves breaking at the shore down below.
    • The waves break on the rocky shoreline as the tide comes in.
    • We were told that in the very worst weather, the waves broke over the dunes and splashed the windows.
    • It is void of any traffic at this hour, with - the waves out there have begun to break further and further out.

  • 5

    (adjourn)
    parar
    hacer una pausa
    to break for lunch/dinner — parar para almorzar/cenar

  • 6

    (open)
    (shotgun/revolver) abrirse

  • 7

    (move, shift)
    trasladarse
    the action then breaks to Budapest — entonces la acción se traslada a Budapest

  • 8US informal

    (happen)
    → even
    things are breaking well for me at the moment — me están saliendo bien las cosas en este momento

  • 9

    (in snooker, pool)
    abrir el juego
    • In each rack, you break, spot anything that went in, and take cueball in hand to begin the frame.
    • Ronnie O'Sullivan breaks to get the final underway but the opening frame proves a scrappy affair lasting half-an-hour.
    • He breaks and sits down without looking where the balls have spread.
    • He breaks hard, shoots straight, and has no fear… how is he out of the tournament?

noun

  • 1

    • 1.1(intermission)

      Radio Television pausa (comercial) feminine
      Theatre intervalo masculine
      Theatre entreacto masculine
      Theatre intermedio masculine
      • A moment later, the break bell rang.
      • Infant teachers who read it aloud in class were begged to continue when the bell rang for break.
      • Just as she began to mull over this new development, the bell rang for first break.
      • The bell rang for break time, it seemed, in record time this morning.
      • The one thing she didn't like about being a teacher was grading papers over break.
      • The ten-year-old has been selling tickets to her classmates during her lunch break at St Anne Line school in Wickhay, Basildon.
      • I think I had wept all the tears out of me during second period and break and lunch.
      • Her stomach was full of butterflies, because first period was about to let out for break.
      • I looked for you every chance I got, and saw you at break after second period.
      • And I really find that I put so much into it when I am painting that I have to take a break from it.
      • Taking a break from signing autographs, he seemed pleased with the way things had gone.
      • Students come here to eat, drink and take a break from school work.
      • The students have been urged to take a break from revision.
      • We usually manage to get through another few cups as the day goes on, as a boost for flagging energy levels, perhaps, or an excuse to take a break from work.
      • Many parents worry that their kids won't return to their studies after taking a break from them.
      • I needed a break from studying.
      • When I take a break from studying and go online, I'm still doing something stimulating.
      • Stopping staff having a quick surf on the Web will probably only result in more chatting around the company coffee machine or extended loo breaks.
      • When you see a colleague struggling, walk him to the vending machine for a break.
      • Having set up the venue themselves, they left for a break but on their return found the hall locked again.
      • Stressed-out homemakers can now take a break and leave the iron in the closet.
      • The Maltese weather and lifestyle also call for afternoon breaks, when shop owners close and the island people rest.
      • Usually I read the papers on line at lunch break, and read the print version in the pub after work.
      • Doing the shopping could be as easy as picking up an order that you mailed ahead during a lunch break.
      • This enables more efficient scheduling of breaks, meetings and training sessions, further optimizing agents' schedules.
      • At the end of the day the High Court had to take into account the fact that teachers need a break too.
      • On Saturday morning, a woman visits the family home for about four hours in order to give the parents a brief break.
      • Advise the patient to minimise time spent with flexed or extended wrists and to take frequent breaks.
      • The clientele were predominantly student-types and twentysomethings, some working, others just taking a break.

    • 1.2(rest period)

      descanso masculine
      (at school) recreo masculine British
      let's take a break — tomémonos un descanso
      • we have a coffee break at 11 — a las 11 paramos para tomar un café
      • we worked without a break — trabajamos sin parar / descansar

    • 1.3(holiday, vacation)

      vacaciones feminine
      Christmas/summer break — vacaciones de Navidad/verano
      • While the number of Irish holidaymakers enjoying short breaks or full-week stays in the region was up, there was a drop-off in visitors from abroad.
      • I know that people travel from far and wide to enjoy short breaks and long holidays in our beautiful and historic city.
      • People are taking shorter holidays so city breaks are more popular.
      • If you're planning a short weekend break to Amsterdam, there are a lot of places you shouldn't miss.
      • It's time to consider some time off and we're thinking about a short break to Germany.
      • Weekend breaks are available for about £160 for a double room for two nights.
      • It was a relaxing break and well needed respite for both of us.
      • They have put together three different kinds of good-value breaks.
      • Cities Direct promises a uniquely different time with breaks to Belgium.
      • The couple went on a break to Paris in September 2002, but split up within a fortnight of their return, jurors heard.
      • He is delighted to be back, but he did enjoy his break very much, and the weather suited him very well.
      • He also stressed that the bad weather might afford people the opportunity to avail of cheap breaks within the region.
      • With the recent weather conditions and the Christmas break they have had a well earned rest.
      • She said they feared Chinese students going home for the Easter break could become infected and pass on the virus when they returned to college.
      • Will people want to honour her, as they did then, or will the extended bank holiday designated for this purpose simply pass off as a pleasant break?
      • Then on Monday schools in the Paris region returned from their Easter break, and young students marched out of classes in their tens of thousands.
      • So the summer break seemed an ideal opportunity to visit the outlaws, my partner's parents, and brush up on the German.
      • Bryan, who is son of Michael and Carmel Reidy, went to New York in the early 1980s on a summer break from college.
      • We look forward to organising similar activities during the summer break.
      • All I plan to do is enjoy my summer break and wait and see what happens.

    • 1.4(change, respite)

      cambio masculine
      break from sth
      • I need a break from all this
      a welcome break — un cambio refrescante

    • 1.5(in transmission)

      interrupción feminine
      corte masculine
      • A dead light-bulb is a break in the circuit, so that will also stop the current.
      • A switch is a break in the circuit that stops the electrons from flowing.
      • The break in the electric circuit had not been closed by pressure on the trip wire.

  • 2

    • 2.1(gap)

      interrupción feminine
      • Towards the western end of the ramparts there is an obvious break where a path leads through rocky portals to gain a grassy bealach.
      • Eventually there came a break in the cloud below and I spotted a reservoir which I thought I recognized from a previous flight.
      • On the opposite shore, I could make out a small railway bridge through a break in the trees.
      • The saplings can survive for decades in the shade, waiting for a break in the canopy and a chance to join their relatives in the sunlight.
      • A break in the crowd gave me a full view of her as she stepped briskly down the steps, with her small square leather bag in her hand.
      • We are taught from a young age to look both ways and to wait for a break in the traffic before crossing a street.

    • 2.2(in circuit)

      ruptura feminine
      corte masculine

  • 3

    (fracture)
    fractura feminine
    rotura masculine
    • For instance, if the break is clean and not frayed, he knows the frame has been knocked off the wall.
    • The bird had a fractured leg where breaks commonly occur in leg trap injuries.
    • In severe breaks, the broken bone may be poking through the skin.
    • I could see Rachel had severe breaks to both her legs and my wife was lying motionless.
    • The seven breaks to his leg have been pinned and wired and his leg fitted is with a metal frame.
    • She has been in intensive care at the hospital ever since, suffering horrendous breaks to her left leg, pelvis, ribs and shoulder.
    • He is set to miss the rest of the season after sustaining a serious break to his right leg.
    • He sustained a double break to his leg.
    • I was looking for breaks and bleeding, but there weren't any.
    • Troops demonstrated their first aid skills, showing Prince Charles how they have been learning to cope with dislocations and breaks.
    • He suffered several breaks on both feet and legs, hips, pelvis and left arm.
    • He thought he had only sprained an ankle but doctors at a local clinic took several x-rays and told him he had suffered a break.
    • He knew that the pain in the shoulder and arm meant at least sprains, if not dislocations and breaks.
    • Over time, the area of detachment increases as more fluid passes through the retinal break.
    • Use an electric shaver instead of a razor to prevent breaks or cuts in your skin.
    • Railroad officials plan to replace eight miles of track after test results Thursday showed internal cracks and breaks not apparent by visual inspection.
    • A bone break or crack occurs when a force deforms the bone beyond its normal elastic limit.
    • The City sent out a crew to repair the break, and a temporary patch was applied to the hole.
    • Thus, these pipes need frequent examination in case of sudden breaks.
    • After a bone fracture, new bone cells fill the gap and repair the break.

  • 4informal

    (chance, opportunity)
    oportunidad feminine
    he never got a decent break — nunca se le presentó una buena oportunidad
    • she's still looking for a break — todavía está esperando que le cambie la suerte
    • For a young person like Jane, getting a break - an opportunity to prove her talent - is a huge issue.
    • The story that got me my break was published in an anthology by Vintage.
    • Those who pass out from her academy will be guaranteed an acting break.
    • It's an unconventional way of working which seems to have brought him plenty of acclaim at the same time as giving other artists their breaks.
    • He is a former policeman who got his first breaks in business through contracts with the police and military.
    • After attending workshops with the dancers for many months, he finally got his break.
    • The aspiring singer-dancer-actor got his break as a replacement in Hair.
    • He got his break in 1944 with When Strangers Marry, a film noir and eventually a cult classic.
    • There were stints as a trainee barman, as a telegram boy, and in a men's clothes shop before he got his break at 17.
    • My break came in the late 1960s, when I was a senior project manager at JC Penney.

  • 5

    (separation, rift)
    ruptura feminine
    a break between the superpowers — una ruptura (de relaciones) entre las superpotencias
    • he made a break with his past life — rompió / cortó con su pasado
    • a break with tradition — una ruptura con la tradición
    • This represented a break with 1900 years of complete Christian consensus.
    • In a break with tradition, the Welsh Rugby Union has decided to make tickets for Six Nations matches available to the general public via their internet site.
    • We may need to make a break with the past and with past evidence.
    • Since this break from the rules and formalities of European culture, Americans have never looked back.
    • The filmmakers were making a break from the ironclad Soviet cinematic ideology.
    • All in all, his break from his instrumental past proves moving and well judged.

  • 6

    • 6.1(sudden move)

      he made a break for cover/the door — corrió a refugiarse/hacia la puerta
      • He said it was possible that weapons used in the prison break could have been introduced to the property through the gaping fence.
      • When local residents expressed concern after the prison break, the company simply shrugged it off.
      • Up to this point, two-thirds of the way in, the focus of the film was the actual prison break.
      • One American soldier was injured in the attempted prison break.
      • A dispatcher at the County Jail foiled an attempted break by as many as five men from the fourth-floor maximum security cell block.

    • 6.2(breakaway)

      contraataque masculine
      • In the first half he made several breaks to launch English attacks.
      • A single striker was aided by breaks from the wide players whenever they dared.
      • They combined as early as the third minute, a break by the scrum half putting Dixon through a gap to score.
      • Inside the first three minutes of the second half Arsenal had the lead from one of their fine breaks.
      • The scrum-half made several telling breaks to earn the Man-of-the-Match award.
      • Although Newcastle dominated much of the action, early breaks by second row Chris Jones provided a hint of what might be to come later.
      • A fine break by the full back saw him brought down illegally when a certain try for the visitors looked on.
      • Jones converted, and then raced clear to the corner following a fine break by Judge.
      • He missed a simple looking penalty before making the break that put his team on the attack.
      • He finished off a fine break by Hodgson to score at the posts and Hodgson added the conversion.
      • On eleven minutes, prop Alistair Livesey plunged over from a break by number eight Andy Monighan, converted by Jones.
      • By simply pushing the pace of the game, a faster team can create enough breaks to change the outcome of a game.
      • For the Cougar faithful he brought back memories of Martin Wood, a player capable of making vital breaks, drawing the defence and creating space for his team mates to exploit.
      • They were already showing signs of taking control, with flowing passes and rapid breaks from midfield.
      • They looked certain to score again when he made a swift break but the final pass went into touch.
      • He made a break and passed the ball inside.
      • It would open up the ice for a big play, the long pass and a quick break.
      • The fly half made the break, but his pass was ruled forward.
      • He made a superb break only for the final pass to go astray.
      • He made a fine break but fumbled the pass.

  • 7

    (escape)
    fuga feminine
    evasión feminine formal

  • 8

    (in snooker, pool)
    tacada feminine
    serie feminine
    • After scoring a break of 118 in the opening frame yesterday, he lost the next on black.
    • Equally, rather than widen pockets and make it easier for players to shoot consistently higher breaks, snooker's governing body have actually done the opposite.
    • He managed to knock in two century breaks - and a 62 for good measure - and was still outscored by his opponent.
    • The world champion rattled in three century breaks to overcome the Welshman, including a 142 clearance in frame seven.
    • The Scot said he was frustrated by his inconsistency despite a comprehensive win and two 130-plus breaks.

  • 9

    (solo)
    solo masculine
    • She is a fine pianist, straddling jazz, pop and classical styles, and the instrumental breaks on her debut album are solid.
    • The song, with the addition of a long instrumental solo break, drove the lyrical quality of the song to the heart.
    • Tracks on the album tend to feature brief lyric verses interspersed with longer instrumental breaks.
    • Some of the songs are also too long and would benefit from shorter instrumental breaks.
    • Also included is some of the music whose breaks and bridges formed the basis for this new music.

  • 10

    (in tennis)
    ruptura feminine
    quiebre masculine
    • He is a model of calmness on court in the third set and secures the crucial break of serve in game seven
    • The 22-year-old crawled back to 3-4 with a service break in the seventh game.
    • The final set was decided by a single break of serve in the ninth game, achieved with a spectacular running forehand down the line.
    • She managed to pull off a decisive break of serve in the 11th game, and kept her nerves cool to get the job done in the next one.
    • Both men refused to yield in a dead-level opening set completed without a single break of serve.

  • 11US informal

    (discount)
    descuento masculine