How to Use break open in a Sentence

break open

verb
  • At that point, the Bearcats broke open the game.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 May 2026
  • Sometimes the plaque can break open, which can cause a blood clot.
    — Lauryn Overhultz , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
  • The three-run inning helped the Royals break open the game.
    — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2026
  • As a result, the Saints have broken open close games in one short burst.
    — Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026
  • The Bucks broke open a tight game by closing on a 13-2 run.
    — ABC News, 7 Mar. 2026
  • The two-run shot broke open what had been a tight contest in the opener of a three-game series.
    — Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026
  • Comments on those videos claimed that customers had broken open the doors to rush into line.
    — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 17 May 2026
  • Her stepmother was able to break open and widen a small hole, and pull her father out of the building.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
  • Then, in 2017, the case suddenly broke open.
    — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
  • His dribbling could be the thing that breaks open the Arsenal backline.
    — Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 30 May 2026
  • Boston, which broke open the game with a five-run ninth inning, has won three of four after a 2-8 start.
    — CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Boston, which broke open the game with a five-run ninth inning, has won three of four after a 2-8 start.
    — ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
  • In the fifth, the Borrego Springs’ bats came to life, scoring five runs on five hits to break open the game.
    — Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
  • The Americans broke open the game with three goals in the second period.
    — John Wawrow, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Led by Strack, Kentucky scored the first nine points of the third quarter to break open a tie game and take the lead for good.
    — ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
  • That song broke open a new level of vulnerability for me.
    — Daniela Avila, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
  • Noha broke open underneath the basket off an inbounds play and converted a layup.
    — Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
  • The Netherlands went down quickly, and the bottom of the inning became the moment the game broke open.
    — Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
  • The Jackets then broke open the lead with a two RBI single to right field from Clary.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2026
  • Not much damage had been done this time, but our dwindling supply of food under the table had been pawed over again, and a few more packages were broken open.
    — Doris Decleene, Outdoor Life, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Troy added to its lead in the top of the eight inning on a three-run home run by Boroff, who broke open Sunday night’s game with a grand slam.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 June 2026
  • Cleburne broke open a close game at the half by outscoring the Spartans 34-14 after the break to pull away.
    — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The best way to tell the difference is to break open a stem and examine the pith (the soft tissue found in the center of a stem on most vascular plants).
    — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 5 Apr. 2026
  • In use, the explosive charge first breaks open the containers or bunkers holding the hazardous materials.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 8 Mar. 2026
  • The Red Sox had pulled within 5-4, and Story had a chance to break open the game, but couldn’t ask for a review.
    — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2026
  • As seen on his season dashboard, Neves is excellent on the ball too, capable of breaking open defensive shapes.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 June 2026
  • Castellanos' double began a four-run seventh inning that broke open a scoreless game and helped San Diego clinch the three-game series.
    — CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Jalen Williams, who had been out with a hamstring strain, and Jaylin Williams both hit big jumpers while the Thunder broke open a close game down the stretch.
    — CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Jalen Suggs scored all 12 of his points and hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter, helping the Magic break open the game.
    — CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
  • But Trevor Larnach’s single off his former teammate, Gray, was part of a fourth inning in which the Twins broke open the game.
    — Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 15 Apr. 2026

Some of 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.

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