Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
win a free-kick = bold, forward, defiant, brash, saucy, audacious, pushy (informal), shameless, unabashed, pert, unashamed, insolent, impudent, immodest, barefaced, brassy (informal) ◼ OPPOSITE: shy ● brazen it out As for the scandal, he is as determined as ever to brazen it out. = be unashamed, persevere, be defiant, confront something, be impenitent, outface, outstarebreach NOUN 1 The congressman was accused of a breach of secrecy laws. = nonobservance, abuse, violation, infringement, trespass, disobedience, transgression, contravention, infraction, noncompliance ◼ OPPOSITE: compliance 2 the breach between Tito and Stalin = disagreement, difference, division, separation, falling-out (informal), quarrel, alienation, variance, severance, disaffection, schism, parting of the ways, estrangement, dissension 3 A large battering ram hammered a breach in the wall. = opening, crack, break, hole, split, gap, rent, rift, rupture, aperture, chasm, cleft, fissurebread NOUN 1 I go to work, I put bread on the table, I pay the mortgage. = food, provisions, fare, necessities, subsistence, kai (N.Z. informal), nourishment, sustenance, victuals, nutriment, viands, aliment 2 a period in which you could earn your bread by the sweat of your brow = money, funds, cash, finance, necessary (informal), silver, tin (slang), brass (Northern English dialect), dough (slang), dosh (Brit. & Austral. slang), needful (informal), shekels (informal), dibs (slang), ackers (slang), spondulicks (slang), rhino (Brit. slang)breadth NOUN 1 The breadth of the whole camp was 400 metres. = width, spread, beam, span, latitude, broadness, wideness 2 The breadth of his knowledge filled me with admiration. = extent, area, reach, range, measure, size, scale, spread, sweep, scope, magnitude, compass, expanse, vastness, amplitude, comprehensiveness, extensivenessbreak VERB 1 He fell through the window, breaking the glass. = shatter, separate, destroy, split, divide, crack, snap, smash, crush, fragment, demolish, sever, trash (slang), disintegrate, splinter, smash to smithereens, shiver (archaic, literary) ◼ OPPOSITE: repair 2 She broke her leg in a skiing accident. = fracture, crack, smash 3 The bandage must be put on when the blister breaks. = burst, tear, split 4 We didn't know we were breaking the law. = disobey, breach, defy, violate, disregard, flout, infringe, contravene (formal), transgress, go counter to, infract (Law) ◼ OPPOSITE: obey 5 He aims to break the vicious cycle. = stop, cut, check, suspend, interrupt, cut short, discontinue 6 The noise broke my concentration. = disturb, interrupt 7 They have yet to break the link with the trade unions. = end, stop, cut, drop, give up, abandon, suspend, interrupt, terminate, put an end to, discontinue, pull the plug on 8 He never let his jailers break him. = weaken, undermine, cow, tame, subdue, demoralize, dispirit 9 The newspapers can make or break you. = ruin, destroy, crush, humiliate, bring down, bankrupt, degrade, impoverish, demote, make bankrupt, bring to ruin 10 They broke for lunch. = pause, stop briefly, stop, rest, halt, cease, take a break, have a breather (informal) 11 We broke our journey at a small country hotel. = interrupt, stop, suspend 12 She was saved by bushes which broke her fall. = cushion, reduce, ease, moderate, diminish, temper, soften, lessen, alleviate, lighten 13 He resigned his post as Bishop when the scandal broke. = be revealed, come out, be reported, be published, be announced, be made public, be proclaimed, be let out, be imparted, be divulged, come out in the wash 14 I worried for ages and decided I had better break the news. = reveal, tell, announce, declare, disclose, proclaim, divulge, make known 15 The film has broken all box office records. = beat, top, better, exceed, go beyond, excel, surpass, outstrip, outdo, cap (informal) 16 (of dawn) They continued their search as dawn broke. = happen, appear, emerge, occur, erupt, burst out, come forth suddenly ▸ NOUN 1 a break in the earth's surface = fracture, opening, tear, hole, split, crack, gap, rent, breach, rift, rupture, gash, cleft, fissure 2 They always play that music during the break. = interval, pause, recess, interlude, intermission, entr'acte 3 They are currently taking a short break in Spain. = holiday, leave, vacation, time off, recess, awayday, schoolie (Austral.), accumulated day off or ADO (Austral.) 4 (informal) The rain was a lucky break for the American. = stroke of luck, chance, opportunity, advantage, fortune, opening 5 There is some threat of a break in relations between them. = breach, split, dispute, separation, rift, rupture, alienation, disaffection, schism, estrangement ● break away I broke away from him and rushed out into the hall. = get away, escape, flee, run away, break free, break loose, make your escape ● break down 1 Their car broke down. = stop working, stop, seize up, conk out (informal), go kaput (informal), go phut, cark it (Austral. & N.Z. slang) 2 Their partnership broke down after too many disagreements. = fail, collapse, fall through, be unsuccessful, come unstuck, run aground, come to grief, come a cropper (informal), turn out badly 3 The young man broke down and cried. = be overcome, crack up (informal), go to pieces ● break in 1 The thief had broken in through a first-floor window. = break and enter, enter, gain access 2 Suddenly, O'Leary broke in with a suggestion. = interrupt, intervene, interfere, intrude, burst in, interject, butt in, barge in, interpose, put your oar in, put your two cents in (U.S. slang) ● break off He broke off in mid-sentence. = stop talking, pause, stumble, falter, fumble, hem and haw or hum and haw ● break out 1 He was 29 when war broke out. = begin, start, happen, occur, arise, set in, commence, spring up 2 The two men broke out and cut through a perimeter fence. = escape, flee, bolt, burst out, get free, break loose, abscond, do a bunk (Brit. slang), do a Skase (Austral. informal) 3 A line of sweat broke out on her forehead. = erupt, gush, flare up, burst out, burst forth, pour forth ● break someone in The band are breaking in a new backing vocalist. = initiate, train, accustom, habituate ● break something in I'm breaking in these new boots. = prepare, condition, tame ● break something off I broke off a large piece of the clay. = detach, separate, divide, cut off, pull off, sever, part, remove, splinter, tear off, snap off ● break something up Police used tear gas to break up a demonstration. = stop, end, suspend, disrupt, dismantle, disperse, terminate, disband, diffuse ● break through There is still scope for new writers to break through. = succeed, make it (informal), achieve, do well, flourish, cut it (informal), get to the top, crack it (informal), make your mark (informal), shine forth ● break through something Protesters tried to break through a police cordon. = penetrate, go through, get past, burst through ● break up 1 The meeting broke up half an hour later. = finish, be suspended, adjourn, recess 2 My partner and I have broken up. = split up, separate, part, divorce, end a relationship 3 The crowd broke up reluctantly. = scatter, separate, divide, dissolve ● break with something or someone It was a tough decision for him to break with Leeds. = separate from, drop (informal), reject, ditch (slang), renounce, depart from, break away from, part company with, repudiate, jiltbreakage NOUN = break, cut, tear, crack, rent, breach, fracture, rift, rupture, cleft, fissurebreakaway ADJECTIVE = rebel, revolutionary, rebellious, dissenting, insurgent, seceding, secessionist, heretical, mutinous, insubordinate, insurrectionary, schismaticbreakdown NOUN 1 They often seem depressed and close to breakdown. = collapse, crackup (informal) 2 The organisers were given a breakdown of the costs. = analysis, classification, dissection, categorization, detailed list, itemizationbreaker NOUN = wave, roller, comber, billow, white horse, whitecapbreak-in NOUN = burglary, robbery, breaking and entering, home invasion (Austral. &