break open

Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition

Verb: 1. To erupt or intensify suddenly and often violently: Refers to a sudden, forceful beginning or increase in activity, emotion, or conflict. 2. To open suddenly and violently, often by force or from internal pressure: Refers to the physical act of something splitting or bursting open.

Usage and Examples
  • Verb (sudden intensification):
    • Violence broke open in the city center after the controversial verdict.
    • A fierce debate broke open during the committee meeting.
  • Verb (physical opening):
    • The firefighter had to break open the door to rescue the trapped family.
    • The ripe fruit fell and broke open on the ground.
Advanced Usage
  • "to break something open": This is the most common transitive usage, meaning to use force to open a sealed or closed object.
    • The archaeologists carefully broke open the ancient tomb.
  • Used figuratively to describe the sudden, dramatic start of something hidden or contained.
    • The scandal broke open and dominated the news for weeks.
Variants and Related Words
  • Breakout (n): A sudden escape, or the beginning of something (e.g., a rash, a war).
    • There was a prison breakout last night.
  • Outbreak (n): A sudden occurrence, especially of disease or conflict.
    • An outbreak of flu closed the school.
Synonyms
  • Burst open: To open suddenly by force from within.
  • Erupt: To break out suddenly and dramatically.
  • Split open: To tear or come apart.
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Break out: Often used interchangeably with "break open" for sudden beginnings (e.g., war, fire, disease) but also means to escape.
    • Fighting broke out in the streets.
    • He broke out of jail.
Related Idioms
  • Break the seal: To open something for the first time, often starting a process. While not identical, it shares the concept of initiating an opening.
    • Who will break the seal on the new package?
Verb
  1. erupt or intensify suddenly
    • Unrest erupted in the country
    • Tempers flared at the meeting
    • The crowd irrupted into a burst of patriotism
  2. come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
    • The bubble burst
  3. open with force
    • He broke open the picnic basket

Từ đồng nghĩa