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

Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy, with just one goal in his past 10 league games, looked to have broken through when he had the ball in the net just after the break but was offside.

From Barron's

He recognises that their approach is an unusual route to breaking through, but says: "If parody is what people love, then we'll keep them coming".

From BBC

There is heavy resistance at 6,900 after several failed attempts to break through there to new all-time highs.

From MarketWatch

The pair singing along to Prine and DeMent’s “In Spite of Ourselves,” with its wincingly funny lovers trading jabs and devotions, is one moment of levity and self-awareness breaking through the desperation.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, this feels like Arizona could break through at home and win one for the first time since Week 9.

From 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