Word choice · B2
Snap, crack, shatter, smash
English rarely says "break" when it can be more precise. A twig snaps because it is long, thin and rigid. A windscreen cracks when a line opens but the glass stays in one piece. A mirror shatters into many small pieces at once. A car smashes into a barrier because there is violent impact behind it. The verb tells the reader the shape of the thing and the force that reached it.
Which word, and why
- snap
long, thin and rigid — one sudden movement, with a sound
To break cleanly and suddenly, the way a twig, a pencil, a bone or a taut string does.
snap in half · the rope snapped · snap a twig
- crack
a line opens; the thing stays in one piece
To develop a split or a fissure without falling apart.
a cracked screen · the ice cracked · crack under pressure
- shatter
brittle — into many small pieces at once
To break violently into fragments, or, figuratively, to destroy something completely.
shatter into pieces · shattered glass · shatter the silence
- smash
violent impact, usually with force behind it
To break something by hitting it, or to collide hard with something.
smash into a wall · smash a window · smash a record
- split
apart along a natural line or grain
To divide lengthways along a seam, a grain or a fault.
split along the seam · split logs · split the difference
- tear
soft, flexible material: paper, cloth, muscle
To pull apart something that bends rather than something rigid.
tear a page · tear a muscle · tear it up
- burst
pressure from the inside
To break open because of what is inside pushing out.
a burst pipe · the balloon burst · burst into tears
- crumble
slowly, into small fragments, without force
To fall apart bit by bit through age or decay.
crumbling plaster · the cliff crumbled · the empire crumbled
- fracturetechnical
technical: a break under stress, often only partial
To crack or break under load. Used of bone and of engineered materials.
a fractured skull · the metal fractured · a stress fracture
- chip
a small piece off an edge or a corner
To break a fragment off a rim or surface, leaving the object still usable.
a chipped mug · chip the paint · a chipped tooth
- dent
the surface is pushed in; nothing breaks
To make a hollow in a hard surface by hitting it.
dent the bodywork · a dented tin · dent his confidence
- shred
into strips
To cut or tear into long narrow pieces, usually deliberately.
shred documents · shredded cabbage · torn to shreds
- buckle
bends and gives way under load — without breaking
To distort out of shape under weight or heat.
the shelf buckled · his knees buckled · buckled rails
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The dry twig underfoot and every bird in the hedge took off.