Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

have broken new ground in the area of computer printout. 18 break in. a interrupt, interpose, interject, burst in, intrude, intervene, interfere, disturb: If the results of the election become known, we shall break in to keep you informed. b train, educate, prepare; accustom, condition, habituate, wear: We'll

break you in for a week or two on the new machine. Wear your new boots for an hour each day to break them in. c rob, burgle, burglarize, break and enter: Someone broke in and stole my

video recorder last night. 19 break off. a discontinue, stop, cease, end: Sally broke off in mid sentence. After the Fashoda Incident, Britain broke off relations with France. b disengage; sever, detach, break: A large branch broke off from the tree

and crashed down, narrowly missing me. 20 break out. a escape; emerge, appear: She broke out of prison in 1985 and hasn't been seen since. b erupt, come out in, break out in or into: He

breaks out in a rash from eating strawberries. A war could break out any minute. 21 break the ice. See 17, above. 22 break through. penetrate, force or get through: Wit, like beauty, can break through the most unpromising disguise. 23 break up. See also 11, 16 (b), above. a disband, disperse; disintegrate: Heraclius succeeded in breaking up the Persian power. b fracture, fragment, comminute: In the spring, the ice on the river breaks up. c See 24 (a), below. 24 break with. a break up (with), separate from, leave, depart from: The leader broke with the party and established a new organization. Sally has broken up with Michael. b renounce, repudiate, disavow: They have broken entirely with the traditions we valued so highly.

--n. 25 fracture, split, separation, rupture, breach, rift,

schism: There was a break in a gas pipe. Disagreement over the fishing grounds has resulted in a break in relations. 26 gap, opening, hole; crack, slit: You can escape through a break in the wall near the bridge. 27 interruption, discontinuity, discontinuation, hesitation, suspension, hiatus, gap, lacuna, unevenness, irregularity: There was a five-minute break in transmission from the ship. 28 rest, respite, rest period, coffee-break, tea break, intermission, interlude, lull, pause, playtime, US recess, Colloq breather: We take a break at ten o'clock. 29 chance, stroke of luck, opportunity, opening: All he needs is a break to get started.

breakdown n. 1 collapse, downfall, failure, foundering; destruction, ruin: There was a breakdown of our computer system. The

arbitrators blamed a breakdown of communication between union and management. 2 (mental) collapse, nervous breakdown, Colloq crack-up: She had a bad breakdown after her daughter was killed. 3 analysis, run-down, detailing, review; decomposition, itemization, classification, dissection, distillation,

fractionation: I want a breakdown of these figures by noon. The chemical breakdown of the substance indicated the presence of arsenic.

breakneck adj. reckless, dangerous, daredevil; excessive, careless, headlong, rash, Colloq hell for leather: The car came round the corner at breakneck speed on two wheels.

breast n. 1 chest, bosom, bust; teat, Technical mamma, Slang boob, knocker, tit, titty: He clasped the child to his breast. On

some beaches in Europe, women bare their breasts when sunbathing. 2 soul, core, heart, heart of hearts: I feel in my breast it is the right thing to do.

breath n. 1 gust, zephyr, breeze, puff, whiff, stirring, stir: There wasn't a breath of air in the tent. 2 hint, suggestion,

indication, touch, murmur, whisper, soup‡on: She never allowed the breath of scandal to affect her behaviour. 3 take one's

breath away. astound, astonish, surprise, amaze, dazzle, startle, shock, stagger: The sheer beauty of the waterfall takes your breath away.

breathe v. 1 live, exist: She believes that there never breathed a wiser man than her father. 2 inhale and exhale, respire, suspire: He was breathing regularly. 3 exhale, expel, puff, blow: The banner depicts a dragon breathing fire. 4 whisper, murmur, hint (at), suggest, tell, speak, say: She told me not to breathe a word of it to anybody.

breathless

adj. 1 panting, out of breath, winded, gasping, exhausted, spent, worn out, tired out, Colloq Brit puffed: We were breathless after carrying the piano up two flights of stairs. 2 surprised, amazed, astonished, astounded, awestruck, staggered: The news of Penny's having given birth to twins left me breathless. 3 eager, agog, feverish, in suspense: We were all

breathless with anticipation as the compŠre opened the envelope.

breed n. 1 kind, sort, type, variety, species; race, lineage, stock, family, strain: What breed of dog won at Crufts this year?

--v. 2 produce, generate, bring forth, create, engender, hatch, beget, give rise to, develop, cause: The cheese is so old it's breeding maggots. Familiarity breeds contempt. 3 raise, rear, cultivate, propagate: Charollais cattle are widely bred in Europe today. 4 arise, originate, appear; develop, grow, increase, multiply: The sergeant allowed discontent and jealousy to breed within his platoon.

breeding n. 1 rearing, bringing-up, raising, cultivation, development, propagation: The breeding of sheepdogs has been Tom's hobby for years. 2 (good) upbringing, (good) manners, civility,

politeness, politesse, gentility, (good) behaviour: You can tell from the way she treats people that she has breeding.

breeze n. 1 breath, puff, zephyr, wind, draught, gust, Nautical cat's-paw: A breeze sprang up from the north, and the little boat moved forward. 2 easy or simple job or task, nothing, Colloq snap, Slang cinch, US lead-pipe cinch: It ought to be a breeze to find someone at that salary.

breezy adj. 1 airy, fresh, windy, draughty, brisk, gusty: The afternoon was breezy and warm, ideal for walking. 2 casual, carefree, light-hearted, cheerful, cheery, airy, lively,

spirited, blithesome, buoyant: The chairman's breezy opening of the annual meeting made everyone feel comfortable.

best hops. 2 concoct, devise, plan, Colloq cook up; contrive, prepare, bring about, cause, produce, hatch: They are brewing up a plot to unseat the financial director. 3 start, go on,

hatch, begin, form; stew, simmer, Colloq cook: A storm is brewing.

--n. 4 beer, ale, stout; tea; beverage, drink; concoction, mixture: She served me some strange brew in which I could detect cinnamon and nutmeg.

bribe n. 1 graft, inducement, Colloq kickback, Chiefly US payola, US plugola: Some judges were offered bribes for reducing the sentences of convicted felons.

--v. 2 pay or buy off, buy; corrupt, suborn, Colloq fix; Slang oil, grease (someone's) palm, Brit nobble: The guards were bribed to look the other way during the prison break.

bric-…-brac

n. bric-a-brac, curiosities, knick-knacks, collectables or collectibles, trinkets, gewgaws, gimcracks; bibelots, curios, objets d'art, objets de vertu: On Saturday she went to an antiques fair and bought still more bric-…-brac to clutter up the house.

brick n. 1 block, cube, chunk, hunk, slab; stone: I bought a brick of ice-cream to serve for pudding. A university is not just bricks and mortar. 2 pal, comrade, friend, Colloq chum, US and Canadian buddy: You're a real brick to watch the children for me till I get back.

link, connexion or connection, tie, bond: She regarded teaching as a bridge between her studies and a post in school administration.

--v. 3 span, cross (over), go or pass over, traverse: The viaduct bridges the swamp. 4 connect, link, unite, join, tie: The gap between rich and poor is not easily bridged.

bridle n. 1 restraint, curb, check, control: Man has need of a bridle on his passions.

--v. 2 curb, check, restrain, hold in, control: You must learn to bridle your temper. 3 bristle, draw oneself up, be or become indignant, take offence or umbrage or affront (at), be affronted or offended (by): She bridled at the suggestion that she was responsible for Keith's departure.

brief adj. 1 short, momentary, little, fleeting; short-lived, transitory, transient, evanescent, passing, temporary, ephemeral, fugitive: The lights went back on after a brief interval. His glory was brief. 2 short, concise, succinct, to the point; condensed, shortened, cut, curtailed, abbreviated,

compressed, abridged, thumbnail, compendious: The chairman made a few brief remarks. Here is a brief description of what

happened. 3 curt, abrupt, terse, short, blunt, brusque: You mustn't be so brief with little children.

--n. 4 summary, outline, digest, pr‚cis, r‚sum‚, compendium, abstract, condensation, abridgement or US only abridgment, synopsis, extract: This is merely a brief; the full document will follow. 5 in brief. briefly, concisely, in sum, in summary, to sum up, succinctly, in a word: He is a cutthroat, too - in brief, the greatest scoundrel living.

--v. 6 advise, inform, fill in, coach, instruct, enlighten; explain, run through or down: Howard will brief you on the details.

briefly adv. 1 concisely, tersely, succinctly, in a word, in short; bluntly, curtly, in a nutshell, in a few words, to sum up: Briefly, the plan is a complete non-starter. 2 momentarily, for a few moments or seconds or minutes, fleetingly, hurriedly, hastily, quickly: I stopped briefly at the post office on my way home.

bright adj. 1 light, shining, gleaming, radiant, brilliant, resplendent, glittering, flashing, Formal refulgent, effulgent, fulgent, fulgid, fulgorous; alight, aglow, beaming, dazzling, glowing, luminous, lambent, incandescent, ablaze with: We arrived on a bright, sunny day. The water was bright with phosphorescence. 2 clear, cloudless, fair, unclouded: It certainly is a bright night - you can see every star. 3 shiny, polished, lustrous, glossy, sparkling: I want that brass so bright I can see my face in it. 4 hopeful, optimistic, favourable, propitious, auspicious, promising, rosy: Glenys's job prospects are not very bright. 5 brilliant, vivid, intense,

fluorescent, US trade mark Day-Glo: But you said you wanted the room bright orange, Madam. 6 intelligent, clever, quick-witted, witty, brilliant, keen-minded, sharp-witted, gifted, astute, ingenious, alert, smart; precocious; Colloq brainy, on the ball:

bring some wine home for dinner tonight. 2 lead, conduct, convey; escort, invite, accompany: The road brought me to your house. You can bring anyone you like to the party. 3 draw, attract, lure, allure: What brings you to London? 4 carry,

bear, convey; report: She brought word of the uprising. 5 bring on, bring about, occasion, give rise to, be the source or cause of, create, cause, engender, produce; contribute to: The thought of his mother brought tears to his eyes. 6 institute, advance; invoke: She is bringing charges against him for slander. 7 bring about. occasion, cause, bring on, accomplish, effect, achieve, produce: The government has brought about changes in the health service. 8 bring down. a overthrow, depose, oust, unseat, dethrone, overturn, topple: A military faction has brought down the government. b reduce, lessen, diminish, cut (back or down): The chancellor promised to bring down taxes in the next budget. 9 bring forth. a bear, give

birth to, produce; yield: The kangaroo brings forth young less than an inch in size. b set forth, bring out or in or up, introduce, present, produce, put out, submit, offer, advance: Mr Hanson has brought forth a new sales plan. 10 bring in. a earn, yield, produce, realize, fetch, return, sell for: Advertising brings in more revenue than subscriptions. b See def. 15, below. 11 bring off. succeed (in), carry out,

achieve, accomplish, do, carry out or off, perform, succeed, pull off; Colloq put over: Do you really think she'll be able to bring off her masquerade? 12 bring on. a produce, put on,

introduce, bring in: When the children in the audience began to get restless, they brought on the clowns. b induce, produce, occasion, bring about: Eating strawberries brought on a rash. 13 bring out. a display, feature, focus on, illuminate, set

off, make noticeable or conspicuous, emphasize, develop: The colour of the dress brings out the blue of your eyes. b

publish, issue, release, make known or public, produce; put on, stage: They've brought out a new edition of Dickens's works. 14 bring round or around. a revive, resuscitate, bring to; restore: The smelling salts brought her round when she fainted. b persuade, win over, convince, influence: Can he be brought round to our way of thinking? 15 bring up. a rear, raise, care for, look after, nurture, breed; educate, teach, train, tutor:

She has brought up six children on her own. b introduce, broach, bring in, raise, pen (up), set forth, mention, touch on, talk about, discuss; reintroduce, recall: Why bring up irrelevant matters like his age? c raise, elevate: So far,

they have brought up only three survivors from the mine. d vomit, throw up, regurgitate, disgorge: He woke up feeling sick and brought up most of the previous night's meal.

chill, chilly, cool, cold: A brisk breeze had started up from the north, chilling us through. 4 energetic, vibrant, invigorating, stimulating: After a brisk massage, Mariette felt completely revitalized.

bristle n. 1 hair, whisker, barb, prickle, thorn, quill, Technical seta: Shaving brushes are often made from badger bristles.

--v. 2 prickle, rise, stand up, Formal horripilate: He could feel the hair on the back of his neck bristle. 3 seethe, become angry or infuriated or furious or maddened, boil, flare up, see red, bridle: He bristled with enraged frustration. 4 teem, crawl, be thick, swarm, be alive: The sea urchin was bristling with sharp spines.

brittle adj. 1 fragile, frangible, breakable; friable: My fingernails become brittle in the cold and break easily. 2 frail, weak, delicate, sensitive, fragile, insecure: She might seem strong, but she has a very brittle nature and is easily upset.

broach v. introduce, raise, open (up), suggest, mention, hint at, touch on or upon, bring up or in, talk about, advance: I didn't dare broach the subject of money.

broad adj. 1 wide, expansive, large, extensive; spread out, ample, spacious: The broad highway stretched out for miles before them. Cattle graze in the broad pastures. 2 bright, plain, open, full; unshaded: He had the nerve to kiss me in broad daylight, in front of everyone! 3 plain, clear, obvious, emphatic,

explicit, pronounced, direct, unconcealed, undisguised, unsubtle, evident: His wink gave a broad hint of what he really had in mind. 4 main, general, generalized, rough, unspecific, non-specific, approximate, sweeping: Without the details, here is a broad outline of what happened. 5 plain-spoken, outspoken, forthright, direct, unreserved, frank, candid, unrestrained:

When he reached the witness box, he repeated the accusation in broad terms. 6 inclusive, general, widely applicable, extensive, wide-ranging, comprehensive, wholesale; vague, imprecise, indefinite, unfocused, non-specific, unspecified: We have broad support for these policies. She formulated a broad rule to fit

all imaginable cases. 7 liberal, tolerant, catholic, ecumenical, latitudinarian: The term 'Broad Church' is said to have been coined by A. H. Clough. The judge feels that he must give the broadest possible interpretation of the law. 8 dirty, blue, coarse, rude, indecent, vulgar, improper, indelicate, off colour, loose, gross, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy,

pornographic; inelegant, unrefined, unladylike, ungentlemanly, titillating: Peter was in the corner telling some of his broad jokes.

--n. 9 woman, girl, Slang dame, cookie or cooky, skirt, bimbo, bird, chick, number, doll, piece (of baggage): We picked up a couple of broads at the dancehall last night.

broadcast v. 1 air, transmit, relay; radio; televise, telecast: The programme will be broadcast tonight. 2 announce, advertise, publish, proclaim; disseminate: It may be a bad idea to broadcast your plans in advance. 3 sow, scatter, seed: The farmer broadcasts this seed instead of planting it.

--n. 4 programme, show; transmission, telecast: I heard the broadcast on my car radio.

brochure n. pamphlet, booklet; catalogue; folder, leaflet; tract: The brochure advertising the company's products will be ready tomorrow.