break open

phrasal verb

broke open; broken open; breaking open; breaks open

: to open or to cause (something) to open suddenly

The pods broke open and the seeds scattered on the wind.

The police broke open the door.

The burglars broke the locked safe open.

Examples of break open in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, it’ll be seen as the time when something broke open. —Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 26 July 2024

The Cardinal broke open a surprisingly tight game against FCS-level Cal Poly with 34 unanswered points en route to a 41-7 win Saturday at Stanford Stadium. —Harold Gutmann, The Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2024

But the Patriots broke open the game in third when Menzel singled and scored on Covell’s double to start it off. —Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2024

Hereford 17, Lansdowne 4: The Bulls broke open a one-run game with six runs in each the third and fourth innings. —Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 29 Apr. 2024