(n) the act of constructing or building something; "during the construction we had to take a detour"; "his hobby was the building of boats"

(n) the commercial activity involved in constructing buildings; "their main business is home construction"; "workers in the building trades"

(n) a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place; "there was a three-story building on the corner"; "it was an imposing edifice"

(n) the occupants of a building; "the entire building complained about the noise"

(n) the superior one of two alternatives; "chose the better of the two"

(n) one having claim to precedence; a superior; "the common man has been kept in his place by his betters"

(n) someone who bets

(v) get better; "The weather improved toward evening"

(v) to make better; "The editor improved the manuscript with his changes"

(v) surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break a record"

(a) (comparative of `good') superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another; "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din"; "a better coat"; "a better type of car"

(a) (comparative of `good') changed for the better in health or fitness; "her health is better now"; "I feel better"

(s) more than half; "argued for the better part of an hour"

(r) comparative of `well'; in a better or more excellent manner or more advantageously or attractively or to a greater degree etc.; "She had never sung better"; "a deed better left undone"; "better suited to the job"

(r) from a position of superiority or authority; "father knows best"; "I know better."

(n) an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned"

(n) any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare; "the break in the eighth frame cost him the match"

(n) a sudden dash; "he made a break for the open door"

(n) the act of breaking something; "the breakage was unavoidable"

(n) an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity; "it was presented without commercial breaks"

(n) (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving; "he was up two breaks in the second set"

(n) the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool

(n) a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute break"; "he took time out to recuperate"

(n) a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations"

(n) an unexpected piece of good luck; "he finally got his big break"

(n) the occurrence of breaking; "the break in the dam threatened the valley"

(n) some abrupt occurrence that interrupts; "the telephone is an annoying interruption"; "there was a break in the action when a player was hurt"

(n) (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other; "they built it right over a geological fault"

(n) breaking of hard tissue such as bone; "it was a nasty fracture"; "the break seems to have been caused by a fall"

(n) a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

(v) weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death"

(v) diminish or discontinue abruptly; "The patient's fever broke last night"

(v) fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"

(v) fall sharply; "stock prices broke"

(v) make submissive, obedient, or useful; "The horse was tough to break"; "I broke in the new intern"

(v) be broken in; "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress"

(v) of the male voice in puberty; "his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir"

(v) render inoperable or ineffective; "You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!"

(v) become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart"

(v) destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments; "He broke the glass plate"; "She broke the match"

(v) become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated"

(v) happen; "Report the news as it develops"; "These political movements recrudesce from time to time"

(v) prevent completion; "stop the project"; "break off the negociations"

(v) terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky streak"; "break the cycle of poverty"

(v) lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"

(v) stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident"

(v) change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another; "Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children"

(v) come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices broke in the air"

(v) find the solution or key to; "break the code"

(v) find a flaw in; "break an alibi"; "break down a proof"

(v) undergo breaking; "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages"

(v) interrupt the flow of current in; "break a circuit"

(v) cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch"

(v) make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret; "The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold"; "The actress won't reveal how old she is"; "bring

(v) be released or become known; of news; "News of her death broke in the morning"

(v) surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break a record"

(v) pierce or penetrate; "The blade broke her skin"

(v) become punctured or penetrated; "The skin broke"

(v) break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree"

(v) go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"

(v) ruin completely; "He busted my radio!"

(v) separate from a clinch, in boxing; "The referee broke the boxers"

(v) make the opening shot that scatters the balls

(v) destroy the completeness of a set of related items; "The book dealer would not break the set"

(v) exchange for smaller units of money; "I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy"

(v) force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger"

(v) do a break dance; "Kids were break-dancing at the street corner"

(v) curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The surf broke"

(v) break down, literally or metaphorically; "The wall collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The dam broke"; "The roof collapsed"; "The wall gave in"; "The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice"

(v) emerge from the surface of a body of water; "The whales broke"

(v) scatter or part; "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"

(v) make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing; "The ranks broke"

(v) move away or escape suddenly; "The horses broke from the stable"; "Three inmates broke jail"; "Nobody can break out--this prison is high security"

(v) change directions suddenly

(v) reduce to bankruptcy; "My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets smashed him"

(v) assign to a lower position; reduce in rank; "She was demoted because she always speaks up"; "He was broken down to Sargeant"

(v) discontinue an association or relation; go different ways; "The business partners broke over a tax question"; "The couple separated after 25 years of marriage"; "My friend and I split up"

(v) invalidate by judicial action; "The will was broken"

(v) interrupt a continued activity; "She had broken with the traditional patterns"

(v) cause the failure or ruin of; "His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage"; "This play will either make or break the playwright"

(v) act in disregard of laws and rules; "offend all laws of humanity"; "violate the basic laws or human civilization"; "break a law"

(v) enter someone's property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act; "Someone broke in while I was on vacation"; "They broke into my car and stole my radio!"

(v) happen or take place; "Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months"

(v) come forth or begin from a state of latency; "The first winter storm broke over New York"

(v) fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns; "This sentence violates the rules of syntax"

(v) give up; "break cigarette smoking"

(v) cause to give up a habit; "She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes"

(v) vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat plain was broken by tall mesas"

(v) come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"

(n) the superior one of two alternatives; "chose the better of the two"

(n) one having claim to precedence; a superior; "the common man has been kept in his place by his betters"

(n) someone who bets

(v) get better; "The weather improved toward evening"

(v) to make better; "The editor improved the manuscript with his changes"

(v) surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break a record"

(a) (comparative of `good') superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another; "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din"; "a better coat"; "a better type of car"

(a) (comparative of `good') changed for the better in health or fitness; "her health is better now"; "I feel better"

(s) more than half; "argued for the better part of an hour"

(r) comparative of `well'; in a better or more excellent manner or more advantageously or attractively or to a greater degree etc.; "She had never sung better"; "a deed better left undone"; "better suited to the job"

(r) from a position of superiority or authority; "father knows best"; "I know better."

(n) the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on; "he deserves a good kick in the butt"; "are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?"

(r) in or to or toward the rear; "he followed behind"; "seen from behind, the house is more imposing than it is from the front"; "the final runners were far behind"

(r) remaining in a place or condition that has been left or departed from; "when he died he left much unfinished work behind"; "left a large family behind"; "the children left their books behind"; "he took off with a squeal of tires and left the other cars fa

(r) in debt; "he fell behind with his mortgage payments"; "a month behind in the rent"; "a company that has been run behindhand for years"; "in arrears with their utility bills"

(r) in or into an inferior position; "fell behind in his studies"; "their business was lagging behind in the competition for customers"

(r) of timepieces; "the clock is almost an hour slow"; "my watch is running behind"

(n) constitution of the human body

(n) alternative names for the body of a human being; "Leonardo studied the human body"; "he has a strong physique"; "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"

(v) develop and grow; "Suspense was building right from the beginning of the opera"

(v) form or accumulate steadily; "Resistance to the manager's plan built up quickly"; "Pressure is building up at the Indian-Pakistani border"

(v) bolster or strengthen; "We worked up courage"; "build up confidence"; "ramp up security in the airports"

(v) improve the cleansing action of; "build detergents"

(v) found or ground; "build a defense on nothing but the accused person's reputation"

(v) make by combining materials and parts; "this little pig made his house out of straw"; "Some eccentric constructed an electric brassiere warmer"

(v) build or establish something abstract; "build a reputation"

(v) be engaged in building; "These architects build in interesting and new styles"

(v) give form to, according to a plan; "build a modern nation"; "build a million-dollar business"

(v) order, supervise, or finance the construction of; "The government is building new schools in this state"