break through
verb
break through is a verb meaning “To gain popularity” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled B-R-E-A-K-T-H-R-O-U-G-H.
What does break through mean?
verb
- 1
To gain popularity.
- 2
To penetrate the defence of the opposition.
- 3
To make or force a way through (a barrier).
- 4
colloquialTo cross a perceptual threshold during the use of certain psychedelics in which one experiences drug-induced reverie or hallucinations.
- 5
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see break, through.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you pronounce break through?
- US
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-break_through.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of break through
- breaks through present, singular, he/she/it
- breaking through participle, present
- broke through past
- broken through participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Words people confuse with break through
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: breakthrough (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Break through in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to gain popularity:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | percer |
| German | durchbrechen |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.