Phrasal verb
break out of
Definition
phrasal verb. to escape from a place where you are kept, like a prison or a cage.
phrasal verb. to escape from confinement or a restrictive situation; often used with a physical location or a metaphorical state as the object.
Examples
“The lion tried to break out of its cage.”
“Three prisoners managed to break out of the high-security facility during the storm last night.”
“The young artist struggled for years to break out of the traditional styles imposed by her mentors to find her own voice.”
Examples
simple
“The lion tried to break out of its cage.”
contextual
“Three prisoners managed to break out of the high-security facility during the storm last night.”
complex
“The young artist struggled for years to break out of the traditional styles imposed by her mentors to find her own voice.”
Usage
always followed by an object representing the place or situation of confinement.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'break out' (intransitive, used for fires or wars starting) to show how the preposition 'of' changes the meaning to escape.
Pitfall
He broke out the prison.
He broke out of the prison.
the preposition 'of' is required to connect the action to the place being escaped from.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out of
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
break + out + of + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/break-out-of