break through

British  

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

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.

---

Example Sentences

But so far, candidates haven’t had their policy positions break through to a big audience, state-focused or not — and many of them share broadly similar positions.

From Los Angeles Times

He takes his baseball cap off, and for a moment it seems like she’s broken through to him.

From Literature

"The Grammys have long been seen as a conservative awards show that is not particularly open to diverse music genres, making it difficult for K-pop to break through," it said.

From Barron's

Stuttgart peppered Freiburg's goal in the opening half but somehow failed to break through.

From Barron's

Shore recognises the impact the Harlequins full-back can have on the league, saying she has "broken through into the public consciousness", describing Kildunne as "an incredible human and an incredible athlete".

From BBC

Related Words

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