Revised as of
27 Oct 2022
The primary difference between break through and breakthrough is that the former is a verbal phrase and the latter is a noun (well, and an adjective).
Both are about pushing through a barrier.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Break Through | Breakthrough |
|---|---|
Fist Breaks Through Wall by Tumisu is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay. |
Eureka! by Tumisu is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay. — She’s had a breakthrough. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Verb, phrasal
Third person present verb: breaks through Past tense: broke through Past participle: broken through Present participle: breaking through |
Adjective; Noun
Plural for the noun: breakthroughs |
Pass through (a barrier)
Penetrate
Break out
|
Adjective: Constituting a sudden, dramatic, and important advance, development, achievement, or increase, as in scientific knowledge or diplomacy, that removes a barrier to progress [Medicine/Medical] Relating to or being an infection, disease, disorder, or condition that occurs as a breakthrough Noun:
A military movement or advance all the way through and beyond an enemy’s frontline defense [Medicine/Medical] An infection, disease, disorder, or condition that occurs in an individual despite their having received a vaccine, medication, or treatment |
| Examples: | |
| The sun will break through the clouds by late afternoon.
The rescue team broke through the wall in the mine shaft. The thief intends to break through the rear wall of the safe room. The tooth broke through and had to be extracted. |
Adjective: Their products are engineered with breakthrough technology. Critics called it a breakthrough film. In the original vaccine trial, 89% of breakthrough infections were with a particular family of virus strains. She experienced disabling breakthrough pain despite the high dose of painkillers she was taking. Noun: Closer to the Edge was the band’s breakthrough album. Her big breakthrough came on the stage when she won a Tony Award in 1958. “Having successfully crossed the river, Napoleon attempted an early breakthrough and launched a series of evening attacks against the Austrian army” (Battle). The president reported a breakthrough in the treaty negotiations. The jet engine was a major breakthrough in air transport. COVID breakthroughs are usually less severe than infections in unvaccinated people, indicating that the vaccine is still doing its job of combating the virus. |
| History of the Word: | |
| Old English brecan (verb) is of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch breken and the German brechen, from an Indo-European root shared by the Latin frangere meaning to break. | It was first recorded in 1915–20, as the noun use of the verb phrase break through. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Break Through versus Breakthrough
Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.
Apple Dictionary.com
“Battle of Wagram.” Wikipedia. 19 Dec 2021. Web. 28 Dec 2021. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wagram>.
Dictionary.com: breakthrough
Gurusamy, Ramamoorthy. “What is the Difference between Breakthrough and ‘Break Through’?” Quora.com. 28 Dec 2020. Web. 28 Dec 2021. <https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-breakthrough-and-break-through>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, 17 Dec 1903 was painted by John McCoy and is in the public domain, via Picryl courtesy of the Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files.
