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
This number from Amazon exudes the same polished aura but doesn’t require breaking open the piggy bank.
—
Izzy Baskette, People.com, 26 July 2025
Upon being dispatch to the July 14 fire near North 32nd and West Wells streets, firefighters had to break open the door to Velasquez's apartment to rescue the mom and young girl.
—Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 17 July 2025
The back-and-forth continued in the third, but Indiana broke open a five-point lead midway through the quarter, and the Sun never managed to overcome the deficit in the entire second half.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 16 July 2025
Unlike mainland capuchins, these island monkeys have figured out how to use stone tools to break open hard food items like seeds, crabs, and coconuts.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for break open
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Izzy Baskette, People.com, 26 July 2025
Upon being dispatch to the July 14 fire near North 32nd and West Wells streets, firefighters had to break open the door to Velasquez's apartment to rescue the mom and young girl.
—Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 17 July 2025
The back-and-forth continued in the third, but Indiana broke open a five-point lead midway through the quarter, and the Sun never managed to overcome the deficit in the entire second half.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 16 July 2025
Unlike mainland capuchins, these island monkeys have figured out how to use stone tools to break open hard food items like seeds, crabs, and coconuts.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 19 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 4 Aug. 2025.
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