make a break for

Idioms  

1. Also, make a run for. Run toward something. For example, As soon as it ended, they made a break for the door, or I'll have to make a run for the plane. The noun break here means “escape,” and both terms may be put as, meaning “to escape or get away quickly.” For example, With the guards asleep, he decided to make a break for it, or The rain's stopped; let's make a run for it. [c. 1840]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

make a break for

Plotkin, executive director of Temple Israel, said that as his office filled with smoke he decided to make a break for the exit.

From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026

Even people who are in the country legally have tried to make a break for it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025

Before then, there is a brief chase with an errant dog who has decided now is the time to make a break for it down a hill.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2022

News accounts of the presumed efforts of the animals to make a break for it are widespread in the media.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 4, 2022

“Well, don’t sit there dwaalmg, Tendai. Let’s make a break for it.”

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer