ASL Sign Language Dictionary

Search and compare thousands of words and phrases in American Sign Language (ASL). The largest collection online.

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break

How to sign: 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";

break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
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break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
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break down in ASL Watch how to sign break down in American Sign Language
break down - ASL Search More details
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break down in ASL Watch how to sign break down in American Sign Language
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break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
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break down in ASL Watch how to sign break down in American Sign Language
break down - ASL Study
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break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: go bad, conk out, fail, give way, die, give out, break down, go

Categories: change

Within this category: blow out, crash, malfunction, misfire

break

How to sign: 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";

break down in ASL Watch how to sign break down in American Sign Language
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collapse in ASL Watch how to sign collapse in American Sign Language
collapse - ASL Search More details
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collapse in ASL Watch how to sign collapse in American Sign Language
collapse - ASL Study
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collapse in ASL Watch how to sign collapse in American Sign Language
collapse - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: collapse, fall in, cave in, give way, founder, give

Categories: change

Within this category: break, buckle, flop, implode, slump

break

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

break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
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break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - ASL Signbank More details
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break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - ASL Search More details
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pause in ASL Watch how to sign pause in American Sign Language
pause - ASL Search More details
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break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - SignSchool More details
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break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: time out, respite, recess

Categories: pause

Within this category: spring break

break

How to sign: 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;

divulge in ASL Watch how to sign divulge in American Sign Language
divulge - ASL Study
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break down and confess in ASL Watch how to sign break down and confess in American Sign Language
break down and confess - SMARTSign Dictionary
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break confidence in ASL Watch how to sign break confidence in American Sign Language
break confidence - SMARTSign Dictionary
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break the news in ASL Watch how to sign break the news in American Sign Language
break the news - SMARTSign Dictionary
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divulge in ASL Watch how to sign divulge in American Sign Language
divulge - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: disclose, let on, divulge, reveal, expose, give away, let out, impart, discover, bring out

Categories: tell

Within this category: betray, blackwash, blow, come out of the closet, confide, leak, muckrake, out, reveal, spill the beans, spring

break

How to sign: assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
"She was demoted because she always speaks up"; "He was broken down to Sargeant";

demote in ASL Watch how to sign demote in American Sign Language
demote - ASL Study
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demote in ASL Watch how to sign demote in American Sign Language
demote - Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf More details
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demote in ASL Watch how to sign demote in American Sign Language
demote - SMARTSign Dictionary
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relegate in ASL Watch how to sign relegate in American Sign Language
relegate - SMARTSign Dictionary
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See also: murder, slay, bump off, polish off, dispatch, remove, hit

Similiar / Same: demote, kick downstairs, relegate

Categories: assign, delegate, depute, designate

Within this category: reduce

break

How to sign: become separated into pieces or fragments
"The figurine broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart";

fracture in ASL Watch how to sign fracture in American Sign Language
fracture - ASL Search More details
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break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - ASL Study
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fall apart in ASL Watch how to sign fall apart in American Sign Language
fall apart - ASL Study
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break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - SMARTSign Dictionary
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See also: decompose, break down, break up

Similiar / Same: come apart, split up, fall apart, separate

Categories: change integrity

Within this category: break up, burst, burst, crush, ladder, puncture, smash, snap

break

How to sign: an escape from jail
"the breakout was carefully planned";

break out in ASL Watch how to sign break out in American Sign Language
break out - ASL Study
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breakout in ASL Watch how to sign breakout in American Sign Language
breakout - SMARTSign Dictionary
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jailbreak in ASL Watch how to sign jailbreak in American Sign Language
jailbreak - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: breakout, jailbreak, gaolbreak, prisonbreak, prison-breaking

Categories: escape, flight

break

How to sign: come to an end
"The heat wave finally broke yesterday";

break a fever in ASL Watch how to sign break a fever in American Sign Language
break a fever - SMARTSign Dictionary
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break a habit in ASL Watch how to sign break a habit in American Sign Language
break a habit - SMARTSign Dictionary
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weather breaking in ASL Watch how to sign weather breaking in American Sign Language
weather breaking - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Categories: cease, end, finish, stop, terminate

break

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

to bankrupt in ASL Watch how to sign to bankrupt in American Sign Language
to bankrupt - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: bankrupt, ruin, smash

Categories: impoverish

break

How to sign: become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
"The glass cracked when it was heated";

break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - Elemental ASL Concepts More details
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crack in ASL Watch how to sign crack in American Sign Language
crack - SignSchool More details
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crack in ASL Watch how to sign crack in American Sign Language
crack - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: crack, check

Categories: change

Within this category: crack

break

How to sign: act in disregard of laws and rules
"offend all laws of humanity"; "violate the basic laws or human civilization"; "break a law";

break a promise in ASL Watch how to sign break a promise in American Sign Language
break a promise - SMARTSign Dictionary
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break the law in ASL Watch how to sign break the law in American Sign Language
break the law - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: transgress, infract, breach, offend, violate, go against

Categories: disrespect

Within this category: conflict, sin, sin, trespass, trespass

break

How to sign: fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns
"This sentence violates the rules of syntax";

break a contract in ASL Watch how to sign break a contract in American Sign Language
break a contract - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: violate, go against

Within this category: fly in the face of

break

How to sign: break a piece from a whole
"break a branch from a tree";

break off in ASL Watch how to sign break off in American Sign Language
break off - SMARTSign Dictionary
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snap off in ASL Watch how to sign snap off in American Sign Language
snap off - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: snap off, break off

Categories: detach

break

How to sign: cease an action temporarily
"We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch";

stop in ASL Watch how to sign stop in American Sign Language
stop - ASL Study
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pause in ASL Watch how to sign pause in American Sign Language
pause - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: intermit, pause

Categories: break up, cut off, disrupt, interrupt

Within this category: rest, take five, take ten

break

How to sign: an unexpected piece of good luck
"he finally got his big break";

break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: happy chance, good luck

Categories: accident, chance event, fortuity

break

How to sign: render inoperable or ineffective
"You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!";

break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Categories: damage

break

How to sign: force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up
"break into tears"; "erupt in anger";

burst out in laughter in ASL Watch how to sign burst out in laughter in American Sign Language
burst out in laughter - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: burst, erupt

Categories: express emotion, express feelings

break

How to sign: the occurrence of breaking
"the break in the dam threatened the valley";

fracture in ASL Watch how to sign fracture in American Sign Language
fracture - ASL Signbank More details
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Categories: breakup, detachment, separation

Within this category: snap

break

How to sign: the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool

break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Categories: shot, stroke

break

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

break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: break of serve

Categories: score

break

How to sign: 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!";

breaking and entering in ASL Watch how to sign breaking and entering in American Sign Language
breaking and entering - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: break in

Categories: intrude, trespass

break

How to sign: make submissive, obedient, or useful
"The horse was tough to break"; "I broke in the new intern";

break a horse in ASL Watch how to sign break a horse in American Sign Language
break a horse - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: break in

Categories: domesticate, domesticise, domesticize, reclaim, tame

break

How to sign: come into being
"light broke over the horizon"; "Voices broke in the air";

breaking in ASL Watch how to sign breaking in American Sign Language
breaking - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Categories: become, get, go

break

How to sign: curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves
"The surf broke";

break in ASL Watch how to sign break in American Sign Language
break - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Categories: break, cave in, collapse, fall in, founder, give, give way

break

How to sign: 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";

break up in ASL Watch how to sign break up in American Sign Language
break up - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Similiar / Same: part, break up, split up, split, separate

Within this category: break, break with, disassociate, disunify, divorce, give the axe, secede

break

How to sign: find the solution or key to
"break the code";

crack a code in ASL Watch how to sign crack a code in American Sign Language
crack a code - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Categories: figure out, lick, puzzle out, solve, work, work out

break

How to sign: of the male voice in puberty
"his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir";

voice breaking in ASL Watch how to sign voice breaking in American Sign Language
voice breaking - SMARTSign Dictionary
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Categories: change state, turn

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