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Synonyms

break the news

Idioms  

  1. Make something known, as in We suspected that she was pregnant but waited for her to break the news to her in-laws. This term, in slightly different form (break a matter or break a business), dates from the early 1500s. Another variant is the 20th-century journalistic phrase, break a story, meaning “to reveal a news item or make it available for publication.”

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.

Humphrys, who joined the BBC in 1966, said he was working for the corporation in Washington DC when he was among the first journalists to break the news of Nixon's resignation.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

So when I called him to break the news, he started crying.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

It fell to Barshay to break the news.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Another issue is just how “out” to be, at work and elsewhere, about one’s preferences; the Davises worry about how and when to break the news to their teenage son.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2026

I am sorry to break the news to you, but my dear daddy, Cornelius Jeremiah Warne, has died.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

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.

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