break /'brāk/ vb broke /'brōk/, bro·ken, /'brō-kən/, break·ing, /'brā-kiŋ/
vt
1 a: violate transgress
b: to invalidate (a will) by a court proceeding
2 a: to open (another's real property) by force or without privilege (as consent) for entry
— often used in the phrase break and enter
one who break s and enters a dwelling-house of another — W. R. LaFave and A. W. Scott, Jr.
b: to escape by force from
break s prison or escapes or flees from justice — Colorado Revised Statutes
3: to cause (a strike) to fail and discontinue by means (as force) other than bargaining
vi: to escape with forceful effort
— often used with out
prisoners wounded while attempting to break out
break in·to: to enter by force or without privilege
an officer may break into a building — Arizona Revised Statutes
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.