Pound vs Break - What's the difference?
pound | break |
(en noun) (sometimes pound after numerals)
Short for pound-force, a unit of force/weight.
A unit of mass equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces (= 453.592 37 g). Today this value is the most common meaning of "pound" as a unit of weight.
* 28 July 2010 , Rachel Williams in The Guardian, Mothers who lose weight before further pregnancy ‘reduce risks’ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/28/mothers-lose-weight-reduce-risks?INTCMP=SRCH]
A unit of mass equal to 12 troy ounces (? 373.242 g). Today, this is a common unit of weight when measuring precious metals, and is little used elsewhere.
(US) The symbol (octothorpe, hash)
The unit of currency used in the United Kingdom and its dependencies. It is divided into 100 pence.
* November 11 2012 , Carole Cadwalladr in the Observer, Do online courses spell the end for the traditional university? [http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/nov/11/online-free-learning-end-of-university?INTCMP=SRCH]
* 1860 , (George Eliot), The Mill on the Floss , Book 5, Chapter 6
Any of various units of currency used in Cyprus, Egypt, Lebanon, and formerly in the Republic of Ireland and Israel.
* Episode 4
Any of various units of currency formerly used in the United States.
English plurals (unit of currency)
*
A place for the detention of stray or wandering animals.
* 2002 , , 00:27:30:
A place for the detention of automobiles that have been illegally parked, abandoned, etc.
The part of a canal between two locks, and therefore at the same water level.
A kind of fishing net, having a large enclosure with a narrow entrance into which fish are directed by wings spreading outward.
*
, title=[http://openlibrary.org/works/OL5535161W Mr. Pratt's Patients], chapter=1
, passage=Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand. We spent consider'ble money getting 'em reset, and then a swordfish got into the pound and tore the nets all to slathers, right in the middle of the squiteague season.}}
To confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound.
* 1644 , (John Milton), (Areopagitica); A speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England
(label) To strike hard, usually repeatedly.
*, chapter=12
, title=[http://openlibrary.org/works/OL5535161W Mr. Pratt's Patients]
, passage=She had Lord James' collar in one big fist and she pounded the table with the other and talked a blue streak. Nobody could make out plain what she said, for she was mainly jabbering Swede lingo, but there was English enough, of a kind, to give us some idee.}}
(label) To crush to pieces; to pulverize.
To eat or drink very quickly.
To pitch consistently to a certain location.
To beat strongly or throb.
To penetrate sexually, with vigour.
To advance heavily with measured steps.
* 1899 , (Joseph Conrad),
(label) To make a jarring noise, as when running.
(slang, dated) To wager a pound on.
*1854 , Dickens, Hard Times , Chapter 4:
*:Good-bye, my dear!' said Sleary. 'You'll make your fortun, I hope, and none of our poor folkth will ever trouble you, I'll pound it.
(intransitive) To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.
# (intransitive) To crack or fracture (bone) under a physical strain.
(US) To divide (something, often money) into smaller units.
To cause (a person) to lose his or her spirit or will; to crush the spirits of; to ruin (a person) emotionally.
* Shakespeare
To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief.
To cause (a person or animal) to lose its will.
To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate.
* Shakespeare
To ruin financially.
* Dryden
To violate, to not adhere to.
* Milton
(of a fever) To pass the most dangerous part of the illness; to go down, temperaturewise.
To design or use a powerful (yet legal) strategy that unbalances the game in a player's favor.
(intransitive) To stop, or to cause to stop, functioning properly or altogether.
# To cause (some feature of a program or piece of software) to stop functioning properly; to cause a regression.
To cause (a barrier) to no longer bar.
# (specifically) To cause the shell of (an egg) to crack, so that the inside (yolk) is accessible.
# (specifically) To open (a safe) without using the correct key, combination or the like.
(of a wave of water) To collapse into surf, after arriving in shallow water.
To end.
To burst forth; to make its way; to come into view.
* Shakespeare
* Wordsworth
To interrupt or cease one's work or occupation temporarily.
To interrupt (a fall) by inserting something so that the falling object not hit something else beneath.
(ergative) To disclose or make known an item of news, etc.
(of morning) To arrive.
* Shakespeare
(of a sound) To become audible suddenly.
* , The Battle-Day of Germantown'', reprinted in ''Washington and His Generals "1776" , page 45 [http://google.com/books?id=EM-qNjWrI9YC&pg=PA45&dq=%22sound+of+musquetry%22]:
To change a steady state abruptly.
(copulative, informal) To suddenly become.
Of a voice, to alter in type: in men generally to go up, in women sometimes to go down; to crack.
To surpass or do better than (a specific number), to do better than (a record), setting a new record.
(sports, and, games):
# (tennis) To win a game (against one's opponent) as receiver.
#* {{quote-news, year=2012
, date=June 28
, author=Jamie Jackson
, title=Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal
, work=the Guardian
# (intransitive, billiards, snooker, pool) To make the first shot; to scatter the balls from the initial neat arrangement.
# (backgammon) To remove one of the two men on (a point).
To demote, to reduce the military rank of.
* 1953 February 9, “
* 1968 , , Back Bay (2003), ISBN 978-0-316-52940-2,
* 2006 , , Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty , Second Edition, Artisan Books, ISBN 978-1-57965-314-9,
To end (a connection), to disconnect.
(of an emulsion) To demulsify.
* '>citation
* '>citation
(sports) To counter-attack
* {{quote-news, year=2010
, date=December 28
, author=Kevin Darlin
, title=West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn
, work=BBC
(obsolete) To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate.
* Shakespeare
To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength.
* Jonathan Swift
(obsolete) To fail in business; to become bankrupt.
* Francis Bacon
To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce.
To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of.
To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss.
* Jonathan Swift
To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait.
(archaic) To fall out; to terminate friendship.
* Collier
An instance of breaking something into two pieces.
A physical space that opens up in something or between two things.
(music) A short section of music, often between verses, in which some performers stop while others continue.
A rest or pause, usually from work; a breaktime.
A temporary split (with a romantic partner).
An interval or intermission between two parts of a performance, for example a theatre show, broadcast, or sports game.
* {{quote-news, year=2010
, date=December 29
, author=Chris Whyatt
, title=Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton
, work=BBC
A significant change in circumstance, attitude, perception, or focus of attention: big break, lucky break, bad break.
(British, weather) a change; the end of a spell of persistent good or bad weather
The beginning (of the morning).
An act of escaping.
(surfing) A place where waves break (that is, where waves pitch or spill forward creating white water).
:
# (tennis) A game won by the receiving player(s).
# (billiards, snooker, pool) The first shot in a game of billiards
# (snooker) The number of points scored by one player in one visit to the table
# (soccer) The counter-attack
#* {{quote-news, year=2010
, date=December 28
, author=Owen Phillips
, title=Sunderland 0 - 2 Blackpool
, work=BBC
(dated) A large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash top, with the driver's seat in front and the footman's behind.
A sharp bit or snaffle.
* Gascoigne
As nouns the difference between pound and break
is that pound is short for pound-force, a unit of force/weight or pound can be a place for the detention of stray or wandering animals or pound can be a hard blow while break is an instance of breaking something into two pieces.As verbs the difference between pound and break
is that pound is to confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound or pound can be (label) to strike hard, usually repeatedly while break is (intransitive) to separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.pound
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl), from (etyl) . Cognate with Dutch pond, German Pfund, Swedish pund.Noun
- Research shows that retaining even one or two pounds after giving birth can make problems more likely in a subsequent pregnancy, experts said, with women who have several children facing a "slippery slope" if they continue to gain weight each time.
- For students in developing countries who can't get it any other way, or for students in the first world, who can but may choose not to. Pay thousands of pounds a year for your education? Or get it free online?
- "Only a hundred and ninety-three pound ," said Mr. Tulliver. "You've brought less o' late; but young fellows like to have their own way with their money. Though I didn't do as I liked before I was of age." He spoke with rather timid discontent.
- He glanced back through what he had read and, while feeling his water flow quietly, he envied kindly Mr Beaufoy who had written it and received payment of three pounds , thirteen and six.
- the Rhode Island pound'''; the New Hampshire '''pound
Usage notes
* Internationally, the "pound" has most commonly referred to the UK pound, £, (pound sterling). The other currencies were usually distinguished in some way, e.g., the "Irish pound" or the "punt". * In the vicinity of each other country calling its currency the pound among English speakers the local currency would be the "pound", with all others distinguished, e.g., the "British pound", the "Egyptian pound" etc. * The general plural of "pound" has usually been "pounds" (at least since Chaucer), but the continuing use of the Old English genitive or neuter "pound" as the plural after numerals (for both currency and weight) is common in some regions. It can be considered correct, or colloquial, depending on region. (English Citations of "pound")Synonyms
* lb * lb t * (UK unit of currency) , pound sterling, GBP, quid (colloquial), nicker (slang) * (Other units of currency) punt (the former Irish currency) * hash (UK), sharpDerived terms
* -pounder * * Amsterdam pound * avoirdupois pound * foot-pound * foot-pound-second * * metric pound * pack on the pounds * pink pound * pound cake * pound-foolish * pound-force * pound-for-pound * pound of flesh * pound shop * pound sign * take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves * ten pound pom * ten pound tourist * troy poundSee also
* * * (UK unit of currency) crown, farthing, florin, guinea, penny, pence, shilling, sovereign, sterlingEtymology 2
From (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)- (Police officer to a dog owner) "He'd better stay calm or I'll have the pound come and get him."
Usage notes
* (Manx English) uses this word uncountably.Derived terms
* dog pound * impound * lobster poundVerb
(en verb)- And he who were pleasantly disposed, could not well avoid to liken it to the exploit of that gallant man, who thought to pound up the crows by shutting his park gate.
Etymology 3
From an alteration of earlier poun, pown, from (etyl) pounen, from (etyl) , pynd, in relation to the hollow mortar for pounding with the pestle.Alternative forms
* (l), (l) (obsolete or dialectal)Verb
(en verb)- We pounded along, stopped, landed soldiers; went on, landed custom–house clerks to levy toll in what looked like a God–forsaken wilderness, with a tin shed and a flag–pole lost in it; landed more soldiers—to take care of the custom–house clerks, presumably.
Synonyms
* (drink quickly)Derived terms
* pounding * pound down * pound the pavement * pound the table * pound sand * pound town * pound upSee also
* bangbreak
English
(wikipedia break)Verb
- If the vase falls to the floor, it might break .
- She broke the vase.
- His ribs broke under the weight of the rocks piled on his chest.
- She broke his neck.
- He slipped on the ice and broke his leg.
- ''Can you break a hundred-dollar bill for me?
- The wholesaler broke the container loads into palettes and boxes for local retailers.
- Her child's death broke Angela.
- Interrogators have used many forms of torture to break prisoners of war.
- an old man, broken with the storms of state
- My heart is breaking .
- You have to break an elephant before you can use it as an animal of burden.
- The interrogator hoped to break her to get her testimony against her accomplices.
- I've got to break this habit I have of biting my nails.
- to break''' silence; to '''break''' one's sleep; to '''break one's journey
- I had won four games in a row, but now you've broken my streak of luck.
- Go, release them, Ariel; / My charms I'll break , their senses I'll restore.
- The recession broke some small businesses.
- With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks, / Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks .
- When you go to Vancouver, promise me you won't break the law.
- He broke his vows by cheating on his wife.
- break one's word
- Time travel would break'' the laws of physics.
- Out, out, hyena! these are thy wonted arts / To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray.
- Susan's fever broke at about 3 AM, and the doctor said the worst was over.
- Letting white have three extra queens would break chess.
- On the hottest day of the year the refrigerator broke .
- Did you two break the trolley by racing with it?
- Adding 64-bit support broke backward compatibility with earlier versions.
- break a seal
- The forecast says the hot weather will break by midweek.
- The clouds are still above; and, while I speak, / A second deluge o'er our head may break .
- And from the turf a fountain broke , / And gurgled at our feet.
- Let's break for lunch.
- He survived the jump out the window because the bushes below broke his fall.
- The newsman wanted to break a big story, something that would make him famous.
- I don't know how to break this to you, but your cat is not coming back.
- In the latest breaking news...
- When news of their divorce broke , ...
- Morning has broken .
- The day begins to break , and night is fled.
- Like the crash of thunderbolts.
- His coughing broke the silence.
- His turning on the lights broke the enchantment.
- With the mood broken , what we had been doing seemed pretty silly.
- Things began breaking bad for him when his parents died.
- The arrest was standard, when suddenly the suspect broke ugly.
- His voice breaks when he gets emotional.
- He broke the men's 100-meter record.
- I can't believe she broke 3 under par!
- The policeman broke sixty on a residential street in his hurry to catch the thief.
- He needs to break serve to win the match.
citation, page= , passage=Yet when play restarted the Czech was a train that kept on running over Nadal. After breaking Nadal in the opening game of the final set, he went 2-0 up and later took the count to 4-2 with yet another emphatic ace – one of his 22 throughout.}}
- Is it your or my turn to break ?
Books: First Rulers of Asia”, in Time :
- And he played no favorites: when his son-in-law sacked a city he had been told to spare, Genghis broke him to private.
page 215:
- One morning after the budget had failed to balance Finanzminister von Scholz picked up Der Reichsanzeiger and found he had been broken to sergeant.
page 42:
- Not long after this event, Clausen became involved in another disciplinary situation and was broken to private—the only one to win the Medal of Honor in Vietnam.
- The referee ordered the boxers to break the clinch.
- The referee broke the boxers' clinch.
- I couldn't hear a thing he was saying, so I broke the connection and called him back.
citation, page= , passage=The Baggies almost hit back instantly when Graham Dorrans broke from midfield and pulled the trigger from 15 yards but Paul Robinson did superbly to tip the Scot's drive around the post. }}
- Katharine, break thy mind to me.
- See how the dean begins to break ; / Poor gentleman he droops apace.
- He that puts all upon adventures doth oftentimes break , and come to poverty.
- The cavalry were not able to break the British squares.
- to break flax
- I see a great officer broken .
- to break into a run or gallop
- To break upon the score of danger or expense is to be mean and narrow-spirited.
Quotations
* (English Citations of "break")Usage notes
The sense relating to a spell of weather is most likely to be used after a period of persistent good or bad weather; it is rarely used to signify the end of short-lived conditions. In colloquial use, the past participle is sometimes 'broke' instead of 'broken,' as in the expression "."Synonyms
* burst, bust, shatter, shear, smash, split * crack, fracture * subject, tame * contravene, go against, violate * break down, bust, fail, go down (of a computer or computer network)Antonyms
* assemble, fix, join, mend, put together, repair * holdDerived terms
* breakage * break a leg * break apart * break away * break bad * break bread * break down * breaker * break even * break in * break into * break loose * break new ground * break off * break one's fast * break open * break out * break rank * break someone's heart * break stride * break the ice * break through * break up * break wind * icebreaker * make-or-break * outbreak * be on a breakSee also
* breaking * broke * brokenNoun
(en noun)- The femur has a clean break and so should heal easily.
- The sun came out in a break in the clouds.
- He waited minutes for a break in the traffic to cross the highway.
- The fiddle break was amazing; it was a pity the singer came back in on the wrong note.
- Let’s take a five-minute break .
- I think we need a break.
citation, page= , passage=But they marginally improved after the break as Didier Drogba hit the post. }}
- daybreak
- at the break of day
- make a break for it
- make a break for the door
- It was a clean break .
- prison break
- The final break in the Greenmount area is Kirra Point.
citation, page= , passage=Blackpool were not without their opportunities - thanks to their willingness to commit and leave men forward even when under severe pressure - and they looked very capable of scoring on the break . }}
- Pampered jades which need nor break nor bit.