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

Others might be too wary of its potential value as a collectible to break open the packaging to the token itself, which carries instructions on how to access the online Remorse Portal to save Angus.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

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

But about three years after death, once the organic matter has decomposed, loved ones break open the front slab of the chamber.

From Barron's • Oct. 22, 2025

If the pressure got high enough, the vessel could break open, sending radiation into the air around the reactor.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland