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 Opportunities to break open games and go on long offensive rallies are few and far between. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 July 2024 This broke open a new era of Clippers basketball that became known as Lob City. Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 3 July 2024 The escapees broke open some eroded fencing, hid between the fence and the next wall until dark, slid under an 8-inch gap in the wall, and scaled two razor-wire fences, Travis said. Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 28 May 2024 Sutton was found to have shared inappropriate materials in connection with the student walkout and to have broken open meetings law. Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 18 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for break open 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'break open.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Break open.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/break%20open. Accessed 11 Jul. 2024.

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