break-v; 16 Senses

Sense Number 1: (cause to) come apart, separate, split

Commentary: Syntax: NP1[agent] BREAK NP2 (PP NP3) OR NP1[theme] BREAK

Examples:
The figurine broke.
He broke the glass plate.
The surf was breaking on the rocks.
Break the bread into small pieces.
They are afraid the dam will break.
Could you break a $20 for me?
The book dealer would not break the set.
The referee broke the boxers.
Were they able to break the tie?
The branch broke when he swung on it.
The glass broke when it was heated.
She didn't break her foot playing volleyball.
The artillery fire was breaking the ranks of soldiers into disorganized bands.

Mappings:
VerbNet: break-45.1,hurt-40.8.3-1-1,split-23.2
FrameNet: Cause_harm,Experience_bodily_harm,Cause_to_fragment
PropBank: break.01
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 2, 5, 8, 19, 20, 36, 38, 39, 41, 43, 54, 57

Sense Number 2: render inoperable, ruin, undo

Examples:
You might break the alarm clock if you take it apart.
He says she'll break the bank if she spends like that.
I keep breaking this code everytime I make a change to it!
This performance will make or break his career.
My daughter's wedding is going to break me!
The fan belt finally broke on his old car.
The prosecutor broke the defendent's alibi with new evidence.

Mappings:
VerbNet: break-45.1
FrameNet: Render_nonfunctional
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 3, 4, 29, 33, 17, 42, 50, 59

Sense Number 3: interrupt, stop, discontinue

Examples:
She has decided to break all ties with him.
John finally broke the long silence.
They are breaking diplomatic relations.
I accidentally broke the circuit.
Will this storm never break?
The heat wave finally broke yesterday.
The stocks may break on news of low earnings this quarter.
I think her fever is finally breaking.
The artist finally broke with the tradition of representational painting.
The partners broke over a disagreement about intellectual property rights.
He can't break his addiction to nicotine.
Breaking bad habits is very difficult.
He's broken every record for a two-year old race horse.
Let's break for lunch.
They broke hostilities for Christmas Day.
A little gossip during the day breaks the monotony on the assembly line.
Here and there a tree broke the flatness of the landscape.
The awning broke his fall to the ground.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1, 10, 14, 18, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 31, 47, 48, 56, 58

Sense Number 4: transgress, infract

Examples:
Did he break the law?
The dictator has broken every accord he signed in that treaty.
The will was broken.

Mappings:
VerbNet: cheat-10.6
FrameNet: Compliance
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 6, 13, 30

Sense Number 5: subdue, train

Examples:
He breaks horses gently.
They administered capital punishment daily, but the prisoner would not break.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 12, 22

Sense Number 6: solve

Examples:
This computer can't break that code in log time.
The young dectective finally broke the case.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 51

Sense Number 7: (cause to) come forth, emerge, occur

Examples:
It seemed as though dawn would never break on the horizon.
The first winter storm broke over New York.
Things are really breaking fast on this new project.
Break the news to them gently.
News of his resignation broke this afternoon.
When the story broke, they were still asleep.
Look, the whales are breaking over there!
The horse broke from the stable.

Mappings:
VerbNet: appear-48.1.1
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 7, 15, 16, 27, 28, 35, 46, 53

Sense Number 8: pierce

Examples:
Surprisingly the brambles didn't break her skin.
He broke the skin with a sharp needle.
The fish broke the water.

Mappings:
VerbNet: hurt-40.8.3-1-1
FrameNet: Cause_harm,Experience_bodily_harm
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 44, 45

Sense Number 9: change in tone (as in voice breaking)

Examples:
His voice broke as he described the scene of the carnage.
Her teenaged brother gets embarrassed when his voice breaks.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 52, 55

Sense Number 10: physically enter unlawfully

Examples:
He was arrested for breaking and entering.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: break.02
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 11

Sense Number 11: demote

Examples:
They broke his rank for misconduct in the line of duty.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 32

Sense Number 12: change direction

Examples:
The thundering herd of bison broke to the left.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 34

Sense Number 13: dance

Examples:
Those dancers can really break!

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 37

Sense Number 14: initiate a game of pool

Examples:
John always seems to break whenever we play pool.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 40

Sense Number 15: linguistic change

Examples:
The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 49

Sense Number 16: verb particle construction/multi-word expression

Commentary: break_apart break_away break_bread break_camp break_dance break_down break_even break_in break_into break_loose break_off break_one's_back break_open break_out break_short break_someone's_heart break_through break_up break_water break_wind break_with

Examples:
BREAK APART
Yugoslavia broke apart after 1989.
Before plate tectonics broke Pangaea apart, creatures could have moved anywhere.
BREAK AWAY
After the break up of the Soviet Union, many republics broke away.
She had broken away from tradition.
Israel's top negotiators broke away from Middle East peace talks November 10, 1978.
Cassandra broke awayfrom his control and fled to Gotham City in hopes of a new life.
BREAK BREAD
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.
BREAK CAMP
The hikers broke camp before dawn.
BREAK DANCE
The kids were break-dancing on the street.
BREAK DOWN
Martin Luther King tried to break down racial discrimination.
Can you break down the question and make it easier to understand?
She broke down under all the pressure from the media.
Oh no! The coffee maker broke down!
Negotiations broke down.
BREAK EVEN
At the end of the fiscal year, they found that they had broken even.
I made a nickel on a 100 lot and broke even on the hedge.
BREAK IN
Someone broke in while I was on vacation.
The nosy couple broke in on our conversation.
He broke in the door.
I broke in the new intern.
BREAK INTO
He suddenly broke into song.
She broke into laughter when she saw his face.
BREAK LOOSE
The boat broke loose from its moorings.
Suddenly all hell broke loose.
BREAK OFF
Please break off a piece of bread.
We had to break off our vacation.
Negotiations broke off.
BREAK ONE'S BACK
BREAK OPEN
His secret broke open.
His wound broke open.
He broke open the picnic basket.
BREAK OUT
After 1989, peace broke out in the former East Bloc.
He broke out shouting.
He broke out in hives.
The convicts broke out of the prison.
BREAK SHORT
We had to break short our meeting.
BREAK SOMEONE'S HEART
BREAK THROUGH
The sun broke through the clouds.
The number of members broke through 30,000 in October.
BREAK UP
The police broke up the crowd.
Break the problem up into sections before you start working on it.
I broke up with my boyfriend.
He used a pickaxe to break up the ice.
The tobacco monopoly broke up.
He was broken up over his colleague's resignation.
BREAK WATER
The shark's fin broke water near the surfer.
BREAK WIND
A Danish man having surgery on his backside broke wind and set his genitals alight.
BREAK WITH
China broke with Russia.

Mappings:
PropBank: break.03,break.04,break.05,break.06,break.07,break.08,break.09,break.10
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 9
WordNet Verb Particle Constructions, Multiword Expressions:
break_one's_back 1
break_up 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
break_away 2, 1, 3, 4, 5
break_camp 1
break_dance 1
break_bread 1
break_through 1, 2, 3
break_out 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
break_short 1
break_even 1, 2
break_wind 1
break_apart 1, 2, 3
break_open 1, 2, 3
break_water 1
break_off 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
break_with 1
break_into 1, 2
break_someone's_heart 1
break_in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
break_down 2, 1, 3, 4, 7, 5, 6, 8
break_loose 1, 2