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.

Example Sentences

Critics had called them a "game-changer" as their blend of 1990s R&B and sugar-coated pop melodies broke through a K-pop scene dominated by electronic beats.

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But her relatively safe campaign doesn’t seem to have broken through with some voters, according to analysts.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Witnesses reported seeing the vehicle break through the wooden railing at 9:44 a.m.

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He always appreciates when golfers offer to put in a word for him, though he worries such referrals don’t always break through the labyrinth of automation.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Finally, in the seventh, it was Smith who ultimately broke through.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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