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

"We will always carry the grief of losing Oscar and Leo with us, but Hope is living proof that even after the darkest of storms, rainbows can break through."

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

When creating the presidency, one of the Framers’ greatest worries was that holders of the new office would break through all the anti-monarchical provisions of the Constitution to become autocrats.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026

Some marketers have shifted away from mascots, however, in favor of actors, musicians and other human stars who can break through more quickly, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

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

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

He was very tall and as skinny as a beanpole— so alarmingly thin, in fact, that it looked as if his bones were about to break through his skin.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

Related Words

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