break through

British  

verb

1. (intr) to penetrate

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

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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

break through Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

break through

Blondie would eventually break through into actual pop stardom, but also had to fight back against the “punk” label.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

The Mexican American DJ and L.A. native Deorro was an inspiration to Avalos, who describes him as “one of the first to break through on major lineups.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

"It's tough to break through when you have that many messages out there," said Kempczinski.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Kazakhstan striker Dastan Satpaev, 17, appears the most likely of Chelsea's young prospects to break through, having received praise from new manager Xabi Alonso.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Unwilling to suffer a humiliating defeat, cut down one by one as they tried to break through the cavalry, they mounted their horses and charged off the face of the mountain.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Related Words

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