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

But as usual, he can’t help but break through the fence and run into traffic.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

Investors weigh whether the 10-year note’s yield will decisively break through the threshold, creating borrowing environments like in the past.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 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

Rows about research rarely break through into national debate but this was Cambridge, an elite university whose history and reputation has been built on excellence in research, original thinking and academic integrity.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Boys and dogs drive the horses and oxen to the river and break through the ice to let them drink.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner

Related Words

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