From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbreak through phrasal verb1 ATTACK break through (something) to manage to get past or through something that is in your way Several demonstrators broke through the barriers despite warnings from the police. After hours of fierce fighting, rebels broke through and captured the capital.2 SHOW/LET somebody SEE something break through (something) if the sun breaks through, you can see it when you could not see it before because there were clouds The sun broke through at around lunch time. The sun soon broke through the mist.3 DEAL WITHto manage to do something successfully when there is a difficulty that is preventing you He’s a very talented young actor who’s just ready to break through. into It is possible that at this election some of the minority parties might succeed in breaking through into parliament. → breakthrough → break→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
break through• He admits to usually having a serious look on his face, though an occasional smile breaks through.• The students' problems are often of long standing, and it may take a long time to break through.• Yet the drama and the dramatic personality still insistently break through.• The Phillies broke through an inning later against reliever Jim Bruske.• And as Mitchell broke through he was felled by Richard Walker.• The ability of a new church to break through prejudice is a second, more pragmatic reason for planting churches today.• But the report said few secondary schools advertised at less than £60,000, and primary headships had broken through the £50,000 barrier.• One way of breaking through the barriers you may have put up to appreciating yourself fully is to play Boast.break through (something)• He admits to usually having a serious look on his face, though an occasional smile breaks through.• The students' problems are often of long standing, and it may take a long time to break through.• Yet the drama and the dramatic personality still insistently break through.• The Phillies broke through an inning later against reliever Jim Bruske.• And as Mitchell broke through he was felled by Richard Walker.• The ability of a new church to break through prejudice is a second, more pragmatic reason for planting churches today.• But the report said few secondary schools advertised at less than £60,000, and primary headships had broken through the £50,000 barrier.• One way of breaking through the barriers you may have put up to appreciating yourself fully is to play Boast.break through (something)• He admits to usually having a serious look on his face, though an occasional smile breaks through.• The students' problems are often of long standing, and it may take a long time to break through.• Yet the drama and the dramatic personality still insistently break through.• The Phillies broke through an inning later against reliever Jim Bruske.• And as Mitchell broke through he was felled by Richard Walker.• The ability of a new church to break through prejudice is a second, more pragmatic reason for planting churches today.• But the report said few secondary schools advertised at less than £60,000, and primary headships had broken through the £50,000 barrier.• One way of breaking through the barriers you may have put up to appreciating yourself fully is to play Boast.break into• Only when he broke through into sight of the track and the buildings did the realisation hit him.• Already her skeleton was breaking through into the light.• It would be ironic to pick away at the mortar for a few decades only to break through into the next-door cell. 