was break

USAGE SUMMARY

"was break" is not correct and usable in written English.
A correct and usable phrase would be "broke" or "was broken". For example: "The vase was broken when it fell off the table."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

33 human-written examples

"And then it was break.

The Guardian - Books

Before he knew how to tango, he was break dancing.

The New York Times

All he had to do was break the law.

The New York Times

All Jack had to do was break on the football.

The New York Times - Sports

What he could not stand to do was break the Post.

The New Yorker

All this did was break the pencil and reduce the cork to crumbs.

The Guardian - Film

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

25 human-written examples

Profit was break-even or a penny a share, missing the 3-cent average estimate.

The New York Times

When I left, the business was break-even and we introduced new products, which then allowed the company to become profitable.

The New York Times

Net income was break-even on a per-share basis, compared with a net loss of $491.4 million, or $1.18 a share, a year earlier.

The New York Times

Profit, excluding some costs, was break-even to 2 cents a share, compared with a forecast of 3 cents to 5 cents.

The New York Times

For example, he said, Prime View executives told analysts in April that its Korean factories were operating at 30percentt of capacity in the first quarter of this year, and that 65percentt was "break-even level".

The New York Times - Tech

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "was break" in your writing. It is grammatically incorrect. Use more appropriate alternatives such as "was broken", "broke", or other contextually relevant phrases.

Common error

A common mistake is using the base form of the verb "break" after "was". Remember that after "was", you typically need the past participle ("broken") or the present participle ("breaking") to form grammatically correct sentences.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "was break" is grammatically incorrect and does not serve a recognized grammatical function in English. Ludwig AI confirms this with no usable examples. You can say "was broken", "was breaking" or simply "broke".

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

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Formal & Business

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "was break" is grammatically incorrect in English and should be avoided. As Ludwig AI confirms, there are no valid examples of its usage in reliable sources. Instead, use ""was broken"" to describe something in a broken state, ""broke"" to indicate the action of breaking in the past, or ""was breaking"" for an ongoing action of breaking. Always ensure correct tense and verb forms for clear communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

was broken

This alternative indicates a state of being damaged or inoperable, which is a common interpretation when someone might try to use "was break".

broke

This is the simple past tense of "break", indicating that something caused a break or interruption.

was interrupted

This option replaces "break" with a synonym that focuses on the action of stopping something temporarily.

was disrupted

Similar to "was interrupted", this suggests that something's normal course was interfered with.

was the breaking point

This phrase signifies the moment when something could no longer be tolerated or endured.

was on the verge of collapse

This alternative implies that something was close to breaking or failing entirely.

was commencing

This phrase is used when talking about daybreak.

was splitting

This option emphasizes the action of separating into pieces.

was pausing

This alternative emphasizes the action of stopping something temporarily.

was breaching

This focuses on violating a rule or barrier.

FAQs

Why is "was break" grammatically incorrect?

The phrase "was break" is incorrect because "break" is the base form of the verb. After the auxiliary verb "was", you typically need a past participle (e.g., "broken") or a present participle (e.g., "breaking") to form a grammatically correct sentence. For example, you could say "it "was broken"" or "day "was breaking"".

What can I say instead of "was break" to indicate something was damaged?

To indicate that something was damaged, use ""was broken"". For example, "The window "was broken" during the storm".

How can I use "break" correctly with the auxiliary verb "was"?

You can use "break" correctly with "was" by using the present participle "breaking". For example, "The news "was breaking" as we arrived" or the past form "broke". For example, "He "broke" his arm".

Is there a situation where "was break" could be considered acceptable?

No, "was break" is not considered acceptable in standard English. It is always grammatically incorrect. Use alternative phrases like ""was broken"" or ""broke"" instead, depending on the intended meaning.