breaker UK /ˈbɹeɪkə/US /ˈbɹeɪkɚ/noun 12exclamation 1forms 1phrases 1 noun12 •Something that breaks (something else).a breaker of men's souls •A machine for breaking rocks, or for breaking coal at the mines. •[in the plural] A wave breaking into foam against the shore, or against a sandbank, or a rock or reef near the surface, considered a useful warning to ships of an underwater hazardNow and then in the lagoon you hear the leaping of a fish[…]. And above all, ceaseless like time, is the dull roar of the breakers on the reef. — 1919 •Ellipsis of circuit breaker. •A person or company that specializes in breaking things; their yard. •Ellipsis of shipbreaker, a shipbreaking company or its yard. •Ellipsis of car breaker, a car breaking company or its yard. •(informal) A breakdancer. •The building in which such a machine is placed.A: Is John at the tipple? B: No, he's at the breaker today. •Ellipsis of horsebreaker.A hasty and passionate breaker will often make a really goodtempered young horse an inveterate gibber — 1831 •(US, old-fashioned) A user of CB radio.Their radios had been blocked by a breaker calling himself Yankee Bucket Mouth. — 2015 •A small cask of liquid kept permanently in a ship’s boat in case of shipwreck. exclamation1 •(US, old-fashioned) Used to open a conversation or call for a response on CB radio. formsbreakers Phrases with breaker ball-breakerA person or task which is excessively demanding or punishing.
