break open

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The novel partnership between students and police to break open a decades-old murder case, with a love triangle at its center, was irresistible fodder for the media’s true-crime boom.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

“The world itself is loud and overwhelming,” Kittelmann said, noting that meaning emerges when familiar connections break open, allowing attention to shift to the gaps between.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

Indiana’s defensive line was remarkable, constantly harassing Buckeye quarterback Julian Sayin, limiting his ability to break open the field with all that NFL-ready talent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

Shaking can break open new rock surfaces, force out fluids that were previously sealed away, and redirect the flow of water through the subsurface.

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2025

Inside the meat was a hard stone that no child had ever been able to break open.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith