make a break for

Idioms

Also, make a run for. Run toward something. For example, As soon as it ended, they made a break for the door, or I'll have to make a run for the plane. The noun break here means “escape,” and both terms may be put as, meaning “to escape or get away quickly.” For example, With the guards asleep, he decided to make a break for it, or The rain's stopped; let's make a run for it. [c. 1840]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The road is open, and I’m tempted to jump in the car and make a break for Bletchley.

From Literature

But where that novel was intentionally defined to make the reader feel closed in, here the Mojave Desert vistas are free and expansive; whenever Dan and Tamma make a break for the boulders, it’s as if their hearts have cracked wide-open.

From Los Angeles Times

Better just to make a break for it.

From Slate

It’s a festive reminder that even in law enforcement, sometimes the weirdest calls are the ones you don’t expect — and in October, it might just be your Halloween decorations trying to make a break for it.

From Salon

Even people who are in the country legally have tried to make a break for it.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023