break – English verb conjugation

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to break
Participle: broken
Gerund: breaking

Cognates

-

Indicative

Present

I	break
you	break
he;she;it	breaks
we	break
you	break
they	break

Perfect

I	have broken; broke
you	have broken; broke
he;she;it	has broken; broke
we	have broken; broke
you	have broken; broke
they	have broken; broke

Past

I	broke
you	broke
he;she;it	broke
we	broke
you	broke
they	broke

Pluperfect

I	had broken; broke
you	had broken; broke
he;she;it	had broken; broke
we	had broken; broke
you	had broken; broke
they	had broken; broke

Future

I	will break
you	will break
he;she;it	will break
we	will break
you	will break
they	will break

Future Perfect

I	will have broken; broke
you	will have broken; broke
he;she;it	will have broken; broke
we	will have broken; broke
you	will have broken; broke
they	will have broken; broke

Subjunctive

Present

I	break
you	break
he;she;it	break
we	break
you	break
they	break

Perfect

I	have broken; broke
you	have broken; broke
he;she;it	have broken; broke
we	have broken; broke
you	have broken; broke
they	have broken; broke

Imperfect

I	broke
you	broke
he;she;it	broke
we	broke
you	broke
they	broke

Pluperfect

I	had broken; broke
you	had broken; broke
he;she;it	had broken; broke
we	had broken; broke
you	had broken; broke
they	had broken; broke

Conditional

Present

I	would break
you	would break
he;she;it	would break
we	would break
you	would break
they	would break

Perfect

I	would have broken; broke
you	would have broken; broke
he;she;it	would have broken; broke
we	would have broken; broke
you	would have broken; broke
they	would have broken; broke

Imperative

you	break
we	Let's break
you	break

Indicative

Present

I	am breaking
you	are breaking
he;she;it	is breaking
we	are breaking
you	are breaking
they	are breaking

Perfect

I	have been breaking
you	have been breaking
he;she;it	has been breaking
we	have been breaking
you	have been breaking
they	have been breaking

Past

I	was breaking
you	were breaking
he;she;it	was breaking
we	were breaking
you	were breaking
they	were breaking

Pluperfect

I	had been breaking
you	had been breaking
he;she;it	had been breaking
we	had been breaking
you	had been breaking
they	had been breaking

Future

I	will be breaking
you	will be breaking
he;she;it	will be breaking
we	will be breaking
you	will be breaking
they	will be breaking

Future Perfect

I	will have been breaking
you	will have been breaking
he;she;it	will have been breaking
we	will have been breaking
you	will have been breaking
they	will have been breaking

Conditional

Present

I	would be breaking
you	would be breaking
he;she;it	would be breaking
we	would be breaking
you	would be breaking
they	would be breaking

Perfect

I	would have been breaking
you	would have been breaking
he;she;it	would have been breaking
we	would have been breaking
you	would have been breaking
they	would have been breaking

Verbs conjugated like 'break'

bespeak, break, speak, steal,

Verbs similar to 'break'

beak, bread, bream, creak, freak, wreak, aread, arear, bead, beal,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

destroy: crash, batter, dash, crush, demolish, fracture, shatter, shiver
violate: contravene, disobey, infract, infringe, transgress

Antonyms

to restore to a sound or good state: aggravate, damage, hurt, repair
to continue to exist: fail, persist, yield
destroy: construct, build, create, originate

Additional Information

Phrasal Verbs

Etymology

1. O.E. brecan (class IV strong verb; past tense bræc, pp. brocen), from P.Gmc. *brekan (cf. O.Fris. breka, Du. breken, O.H.G. brehhan, Ger. brechen, Goth. brikan), from PIE base *bhreg- "to break" (see fraction). Most modern senses were in O.E. Meaning "to disclose" is from 1450. Noun sense of "short interval between spells of work (originally between lessons at school) is from 1861. Break the ice is 1602, in ref. to the "coldness" of encounters of strangers. Break wind first attested 1552. Breaker "heavy ocean wave" is from 1684. Breakneck (of speeds, etc.) is from 1562. Breakthrough is 1918, originally in ref. to WWI military events. Ironic theatrical good luck formula break a leg has parallels in Ger. Hals und Bein brechen "break your neck and leg," and It. in bocca al lupo.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-
4. Proto-Indo-European *-eti
5. Proto-Indo-European *bʰrégeti
6. Proto-Germanic *brekaną
7. Proto-West Germanic *brekan
8. Old English brecan
9. Middle English breken
10. English break
11. From Middle English breken, from Old English brecan (“to break”), from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”). Doublet of bray.
12. Cognates
13. Cognates of Germanic origin include Scots brek (“to break”), West Frisian brekke (“to break”), Dutch breken (“to break”), Low German breken (“to break”), German brechen (“to break”), French broyer (“to crush, grind”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (brikan, “to break, destroy”), Norwegian brek (“desire, yearning”).
14. Also cognate with Albanian brishtë (“fragile”), Latin frangō (“break, break up, shatter”, verb), whence English fracture and other terms – fragile, frail, fraction, and fragment.
15. The modern pronunciation shows an irregular change of Early Modern English /ɛː/ to /eɪ/ in the standard language; contrast this with the development of other words such as speak and wreak. See: Middle English 'breken', Old English 'brecan', Proto-Germanic '*brekaną', Dutch 'breken', Low Saxon 'breken', German, old spelling 'brechen', French 'broyer', Latin 'frangō', English 'fracture'.

Verbs referencing "break"

Tok Pisin bruk, Low Saxon breken, German, Pennsylvania breche, Finnish with old forms breikata, Danish brække, Luxembourgish briechen, Tok Pisin brukim.

Sample Sentences

[...] our ears, the vessel throbs like a strong giant that has just received the breath of life; the two great wheels turn fiercely round for the first time; and the noble ship, with wind and tide astern, breaks proudly through the lashed and roaming water. (American Notes for General Circulation)
The subject appeared to interest the gentleman deeply; for while Mr. Shelby was thoughtfully peeling an orange, Haley broke out afresh, with becoming diffidence, but as if actually driven by the force of truth to say a few words more. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
The heaviest load on his mind, after his conversation with the trader, lay in the foreseen necessity of breaking to his wife the arrangement contemplated,—meeting the importunities and opposition which he knew he should have reason to encounter. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
“ Here, you Mose, Pete, ” he said, breaking off liberal bits, and throwing it at them; “ you want some, don't you ? Come, Aunt Chloe, bake them some cakes. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
[...] ourselves and for the shadows who appear to us in those visions of the night, so she, having no words, uses her finger alphabet in her sleep. And it has been ascertained that when her slumber is broken, and is much disturbed by dreams, she expresses her thoughts in an irregular and confused manner on her fingers: just as we should murmur and mutter them indistinctly, in the like circumstances. (American Notes for General Circulation)
[...] I can bar it as well as any on ’ em, ” he added, while something like a sob and a sigh shook his broad, rough chest convulsively. “ Mas’r always found me on the spot—he always will. I never have broke trust, nor used my pass no ways contrary to my word, and I never will. It's better for me alone to go, than to break up the place and sell all. Mas’r an't to blame, Chloe, and he'll take care [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
[...] “ Mas’r always found me on the spot—he always will. I never have broke trust, nor used my pass no ways contrary to my word, and I never will. It's better for me alone to go, than to break up the place and sell all. Mas’r an't to blame, Chloe, and he'll take care of you and the poor — ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
[...] Haley's horse _should_ begin to act contrary, and cut up, you and I jist lets go of our’n to help him, and _we'll help him_—oh yes ! ” And Sam and Andy laid their heads back on their shoulders, and broke into a low, immoderate laugh, snapping their fingers and flourishing their heels with exquisite delight. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
[...] two hundred prisoners. A spot was shown me in the sleeping ward, where a watchman was murdered some years since in the dead of night, in a desperate attempt to escape, made by a prisoner who had broken from his cell. A woman, too, was pointed out to me, who, for the murder of her husband, had been a close prisoner for sixteen years. (American Notes for General Circulation)
[...] or oftener. For the young gentlemen, there is the counting-house, the store, the bar-room: the latter, as you may see through these windows, pretty full. Hark! to the clinking sound of hammers breaking lumps of ice, and to the cool gurgling of the pounded bits, as, in the process of mixing, they are poured from glass to glass ! No amusements? What are these suckers of cigars and swallowers of [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
You know, Hemingway wrote, " The world breaks everyone, (The Crow)
about the SUV you broke into. Goddamn it, I don't care about that. (Locked)
♪ Don't fret in fear or worry forever ♪ ♪ Don't get shaken Don't be broken ♪ (Magudam)
[cell door slams] I know that look. Your heart's been broken. (Fackham Hall)
It says that you broke into her flat during the theft, (Nunakuzhi)

break – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of break

Nominal Forms

Cognates

Indicative

Present

Perfect

Past

Pluperfect

Future

Future Perfect

Subjunctive

Present

Perfect

Imperfect

Pluperfect

Conditional

Present

Perfect

Imperative

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Perfect

Past

Pluperfect

Future

Future Perfect

Conditional

Present

Perfect

Other

Verbs conjugated like 'break'

Verbs similar to 'break'

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Additional Information

Phrasal Verbs

Etymology

Verbs referencing "break"

Sample Sentences