break bad
Americanidiom
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to act in a way that violates the law or basic social norms; become a criminal or bad or antisocial person.
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to malfunction or begin to deteriorate.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I’ve had to break bad news to many patients with rare diseases during my career at Johns Hopkins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
Do you see Peter staying on that course, of being inherently good, or could you see a moment where he does break bad?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2025
Enter chatbots, which doctors are using to find words to break bad news and express concerns about a patient’s suffering, or to just more clearly explain medical recommendations.
From New York Times ● Jun. 12, 2023
But there is a way this number could break bad for Ford.
From The Verge ● Apr. 29, 2021
If we want to break bad news to someone, we lower our voices and choose our words carefully.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
