break through

verb

1. intr to penetrate
2. intr, adverb to achieve success, make a discovery, etc, esp after lengthy efforts

noun

1. a significant development or discovery, esp in science
2. the penetration of an enemy's defensive position or line in depth and strength

Idioms and Phrases

Penetrate a barrier or obstruction, as in They broke through the wall to get into the vault , or It won't be long before we break through the code and map all human genes . Used literally for going through a physical barrier since about 1400, this phrase began to be used figuratively in the late 1500s.

Related Words

• arrive
• come
• come out
• crop up
• develop
• emerge
• materialize
• occur
• pop up
• present
• show
• show up
• surface
• turn out
• turn up