break

/breɪk/ v [I/T] (past tense broke /broʊk/, past participle broken /ˈbroʊ·kən/) (DAMAGE)

Definition

› to separate something suddenly or violently into two or more pieces, or to stop working by being damaged: [T] I broke a glass in the kitchen and have to vacuum it up. [I] Our toaster broke, so we have to get a new one. [M] The police broke the door down to get into the apartment. › If you break a part of your body, you damage a bone which cracks or separates into pieces: [T] The top women’s downhill skier broke her leg in a freak collision. › If you break a bill of a particular amount of money, you exchange it for smaller bills whose total equals the amount of your bill: [T] Can you break a $50 bill for me?

(Definition of break v (DAMAGE) from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)