The verb “break” is a very common English word that can mean to separate into pieces, to stop working, or to interrupt something.
But in English, “break” also appears in many collocations — natural word combinations that native speakers use every day, like “break the law”, “break a promise”, or “break someone’s heart.”
Learning these collocations will help you sound more fluent, natural, and confident in both spoken and written English.
What Are Collocations?
A collocation is a pair or group of words that often go together.
For example:
✅ break the rules → natural
❌ destroy the rules → not natural in this context
Native speakers use collocations automatically, so learning them helps you speak more like a native.
List of Collocations with BREAK
- break a bone
- break a code
- break a habit
- break a law
- break down
- break the news to someone
- break a promise
- break a record
- break a window
- break ground
- break new ground
- break someone’s heart
- break the ice
- break one’s fall
- break a leg
- break even
- break loose
- break from tradition
- break the rules
- break the silence
- break the spell
- break free
- break up
- break the ice
Examples in Sentences
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Don’t break the rules if you want to stay out of trouble.
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She broke the record for the highest score in the game.
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It’s hard to break a bad habit, but it’s possible.
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He broke down in tears when he heard the news.
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Let’s take a break and grab some coffee.
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The comedian’s jokes helped break the ice during the party.
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I didn’t mean to break your heart, but I had to be honest.