break open
phrasal verb
broke open; broken open; breaking open; breaks open
: to open or to cause (something) to open suddenly
The pods broke open and the seeds scattered on the wind.
The police broke open the door.
The burglars broke the locked safe open.
Examples of break open in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Calgary, which won all three of its games versus the Wild this season, got a pair of second-period goals to break open a tight game, and has two of its remaining three games at home.
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Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2025
McMillan could emulate what Herbert did with Keenan Allen, someone who has good technical route-running with the ability to make tough catches and break open a game.
—Fox News Staff, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2025
During the riots, vandals breached the Supreme Court building, broke open a cabinet containing de Moraes’s robe, and carried the door into the crowd as a trophy.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
How the escape unfolded The inmates at the New Orleans jail began yanking on a sliding door to a cell to pull it off track, and around 12:20 a.m. were able to break open the door, according to Hutson.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
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Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2025
McMillan could emulate what Herbert did with Keenan Allen, someone who has good technical route-running with the ability to make tough catches and break open a game.
—Fox News Staff, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2025
During the riots, vandals breached the Supreme Court building, broke open a cabinet containing de Moraes’s robe, and carried the door into the crowd as a trophy.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
How the escape unfolded The inmates at the New Orleans jail began yanking on a sliding door to a cell to pull it off track, and around 12:20 a.m. were able to break open the door, according to Hutson.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for break open
Cite this Entry
“Break open.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/break%20open. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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