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 Something in me broke open, then just as quickly slammed shut. —

Rebecca Gummere, TIME, 8 May 2024 Harvard-Westlake 7, Norco 2: The Wolverines broke open a 2-2 game and will play at Bonita on Tuesday. —

Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2024 But some users credit the app with breaking open the national conversation around mental illness. —

New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024 An area of the plaque can break open, causing a blood clot and blocking the blood flow. —

Yuliya Klochan, Health, 14 Apr. 2024 Prosecutors said the women took advantage of the chaos and entered the Capitol through an entrance where the doors had been broken open. —

Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024 Jones broke open the game with those nine points in 2½ minutes, turning a 32-19 halftime lead into a 43-23 laugher. —

Gregg Doyel, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Jan. 2024 State and local leaders don't think the Panguitch Lake Dam is in imminent danger of breaking open but have told residents to be prepared to evacuate if conditions worsen. —

CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024 Instant reaction to Oregon defeating South Carolina 87-73 in the first round of the NCAAs … This was a stellar performance from the Ducks, who broke open a close game early in the second half and thumped the No. 6 seed in the Midwest region. —

Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024

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.