break through

verb

1. (intr) to penetrate

2. (intr, adverb) to achieve success, make a discovery, etc, esp after lengthy efforts

noun

1. a significant development or discovery, esp in science

2. the penetration of an enemy's defensive position or line in depth and strength

Idioms and Phrases

Penetrate a barrier or obstruction, as in They broke through the wall to get into the vault, or It won't be long before we break through the code and map all human genes. Used literally for going through a physical barrier since about 1400, this phrase began to be used figuratively in the late 1500s.

Related Words

• arrive 
• come 
• come out 
• crop up 
• develop 
• emerge 
• materialize 
• occur 
• pop up 
• present 
• show 
• show up 
• surface 
• turn out 
• turn up