break

rompere, rompersi

Danneggiare qualcosa facendolo spezzare, crepare o deformare; subire questi danni.

In inglese semplice: To damage something so it comes apart, cracks, or loses its proper shape.

• Be careful not to break the glass.
• She fell and broke her wrist.
• The plate broke into three pieces.

Come si usa: break something into something (She broke the chocolate into small pieces.); break something off something (He broke a branch off the tree.)

Sinonimi: smash, fracture

Contrari: mend, repair

Espressioni comuni: break a window, break something off, break into pieces

violare, infrangere

Agire contro una regola o una legge, oppure non mantenere una promessa.

In inglese semplice: To do something against a rule or law, or fail to do what you promised.

• Never break a promise.
• They broke the rules and lost their prize.
• You could go to prison for breaking the law.

Sinonimi: violate, disobey

Contrari: obey, keep

Espressioni comuni: break the law, break a promise, break the rules

guastarsi, rompersi

Smettere di funzionare per un guasto, riferito a una macchina o a un oggetto.

In inglese semplice: If a machine or object does this, it stops working because something is wrong.

• My phone will break if it gets wet.
• The washing machine broke yesterday.
• Our car broke down on the way home.

Sinonimi: fail, stop working

Espressioni comuni: break down, break again, break easily

superare, oltrepassare

Oltrepassare un limite o un record, oppure attraversare la superficie di qualcosa.

In inglese semplice: To go past a limit or record, or pass through the surface of something.

• She hopes to break the record.
• A whale broke the surface beside our boat.
• The aircraft broke the sound barrier.

Sinonimi: surpass, exceed, penetrate

Espressioni comuni: break a record, break the surface, break a barrier

scappare, liberarsi

Uscire da un luogo o da una situazione in cui si era trattenuti.

In inglese semplice: To escape from a place or situation where you were being held.

• The horse managed to break free.
• Three prisoners broke out last night.
• She broke away from the guards and ran.

Come si usa: break out of something (Two prisoners broke out of jail.); break free from someone/something (The dog broke free from its owner.)

Sinonimi: escape, get away

Espressioni comuni: break free, break out, break away

fare una pausa

Interrompere per poco un’attività per riposarsi.

In inglese semplice: To stop an activity for a short rest.

• Let’s break for lunch.
• The meeting broke for coffee at eleven.
• We usually break after the first two hours.

Come si usa: break for something (We will break for tea at four.)

Sinonimi: pause, stop

Contrari: continue, resume

Espressioni comuni: break for lunch, break for coffee, break briefly

pausa

Breve periodo in cui si interrompe un’attività, spesso per riposarsi.

In inglese semplice: A short time when you stop an activity, often to rest.

• Let’s take a break.
• We get two short breaks each morning.
• Can I have a break from cleaning?

Come si usa: break from something (I need a break from studying.)

Sinonimi: rest, pause

Espressioni comuni: take a break, coffee break, break from something

vacanze

Periodo di giorni o settimane in cui gli studenti non hanno lezioni.

In inglese semplice: A period of days or weeks when students do not have classes.

• School closes for the winter break tomorrow.
• We visited our cousins during spring break.
• How long is your summer break?

Sinonimi: holiday, vacation

Espressioni comuni: spring break, winter break, school break