break the cup

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "break the cup" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to the action of causing a cup to become damaged or shattered. Example: "Be careful not to break the cup while washing the dishes."

✓ Grammatically correct

Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences

City, Territory and Architecture

WikiHow

The New Yorker

TechCrunch

Cognitive Science

BBC

Huffington Post

The Guardian - Sport

Los Angeles Times

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Plosone

The New York Times - Sports

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Wikipedia

Independent

The Guardian - Books

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

In English, one can break the cup and break the law.

Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences

There is plainly no event the cup can benefit from, and even if the majority of events do not harm it, give it enough time and something will eventually happen to break the cup.

City, Territory and Architecture

This apparently simple observation on the property of fragility of things brings along a fundamental epistemic implication: we cannot predict exactly what will break the cup and when will it break it, but what we do know is that, give it enough time, and something will damage, and eventually break it.

City, Territory and Architecture

Don't break the cup.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

The chair breaks and he falls and breaks the cup.

The New Yorker

For some in the industry #gamergate is a storm in a teacup, for others (myself included) it looks like the storm has broken the cup.

TechCrunch

Training sentences Lisa broke the cup (5/5).

Cognitive Science

"I decided to send Max in ahead of me as we had a chance to break the World Cup record.

BBC

Thomas Muller gave the three-time winners an early lead before a period of utter chaos saw Miroslav Klose break the World Cup scoring record, Toni Kroos add two more in the space of 179 seconds and Sami Khedira net a fifth.

BBC

Woods went to Italy in January to watch Vonn break the World Cup record.

Huffington Post

The blue one!" Her voice rose so high that I kept an eye on my cup, hoping it would break, the way cups sometimes did in movies when somebody screamed like that.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using the phrase "break the cup", consider the context and whether a more specific verb like "shatter", "crack", or "smash" might be more appropriate to convey the intensity of the action.

Common error

Avoid using "break the cup" in situations where it implies a metaphorical meaning if your intention is literal. Ensure that the context clearly indicates a physical action involving an actual cup.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "break the cup" primarily functions as a verb phrase. Ludwig AI confirms its usability, typically acting as the predicate in a sentence to describe the action of causing a cup to become damaged.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

25%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Reference

8%

Social Media

7%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "break the cup" is a grammatically sound and understandable verb phrase used to describe the action of damaging a cup. Ludwig AI validates its correct usage, suggesting that while not extremely common, it is appropriate in various contexts. Considering the source types, its register is typically neutral. When you want to be more specific about the kind of damage, you can replace "break" with verbs like "shatter", "crack", or "smash". Make sure context is clear if intention is literal.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

shatter the cup

Replaces "break" with "shatter", emphasizing a more forceful and complete destruction of the cup.

smash the cup

Similar to "shatter", "smash" implies a violent and sudden breaking of the cup.

crack the cup

"Crack" suggests a less severe form of damage compared to "break", indicating a line or fissure in the cup.

damage the cup

"Damage" is a more general term that covers any kind of harm done to the cup, not necessarily breaking it.

ruin the cup

"Ruin" implies that the cup is no longer usable or in good condition due to the damage.

destroy the cup

"Destroy" indicates a complete and irreversible demolition of the cup.

disintegrate the cup

"Disintegrate" suggests that the cup breaks into many small pieces, almost as if it has decomposed.

fracture the cup

"Fracture" is a more formal term for a break, often used in technical or scientific contexts.

compromise the cup

Compromise the cup means that the integrity of the cup has been weakened but might not be broken yet.

incapacitate the cup

Incapacitate suggests that the cup is no longer functioning for its intended purpose without being necessarily shattered.

FAQs

How can I use "break the cup" in a sentence?

You can use "break the cup" in a sentence to describe the act of physically damaging a cup. For example, "Be careful not to break the cup while you're washing it."

What is a more descriptive alternative to "break the cup"?

Depending on the context, you could use more descriptive alternatives such as "shatter the cup" if it's completely destroyed or "crack the cup" if it's only slightly damaged.

Is it correct to say "broke the cup" instead of "break the cup"?

Yes, "broke the cup" is the past tense of "break the cup" and is grammatically correct when describing an action that has already happened. For example, "I accidentally broke the cup this morning."

What does it mean to "damage the cup" versus "break the cup"?

Damage the cup is a broader term suggesting any kind of harm, while "break the cup" specifically means to cause it to separate into pieces or become unusable due to a fracture.