These new shoes hurt until you break them in.
break in
idiomTo reach a state of functioning more smoothly through use or wear; to cause (something, or someone, new) to undergo this change.
The manager spent two weeks breaking in the new intern, showing her how everything worked.
Though the leather jacket felt stiff and awkward at first, within a month of regular wear it had broken in beautifully, softening to fit his shoulders like a second skin.
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big break
A breakthrough, especially the first big hit of a previously unknown performer or performers in the entertainment industry.
- 02
break a leg
Good luck!; Do your best!; Said to someone wishing they perform well in a theatrical production or comparable endeavor.
- 03
break a sweat
To put effort into something.
- 04
break cover
To disclose one's real thoughts and intentions.
- 05
break down
To give in or give up: relent, concede, surrender.
- 06
break even
To neither gain nor lose money.
- 07
break gates
To enter an Oxford or Cambridge college enclosure after the hour to which a student has been restricted.
- 08
break into
To enter illegally or by force, especially in order to commit a crime.