break
verb (used with object)
to smash, split, or divide into parts violently; reduce to pieces or fragments.
had broken
-
past perfectof break.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the bots hacked real companies, in some cases after they knew they had broken out of a testing environment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Jane Brownstone told jurors that Halem had broken the oath he took as a officer to protect and serve the public.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Delangue also mentioned Anthropic, which revealed Thursday that three of its models had broken into three different websites, also during testing.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
Peace had broken out in the Middle East, and oil prices were having their weakest quarter in years, easing inflationary pressure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The priest was sufficiently alarmed that he had broken the tenet of parishioner confidentiality.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
