take a break

Meaning

This phrase means to stop doing an activity, such as working or studying, for a short period of time to rest or recover your energy. It is a very common, neutral expression used in offices, schools, and daily life.

Examples

• Let's take a break for ten minutes and grab some coffee.

  Let's take a break for ten minutes and grab some coffee.

• You've been staring at the screen for hours; you need to take a break.

  You've been staring at the screen for hours; you need to take a break.

• I usually take a break at 3 PM to stretch my legs.

  I usually take a break at 3 PM to stretch my legs.

• We decided to take a break from social media for a month.

  We decided to take a break from social media for a month.

• The team took a quick break before starting the afternoon session.

  The team took a quick break before starting the afternoon session.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I need to make a break because I am tired.

  ✓ I need to take a break because I am tired.

  In English, we use the verb 'take' (or sometimes 'have') with 'break', not 'make'.

• ✗ Let's take break now.

  ✓ Let's take a break now.

  'Break' is a countable noun here, so it requires the indefinite article 'a'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• You look exhausted, why don't you ___?

  💡 Stop working for a short rest.

  Show answer

  take a break

• We should ___ before we start the next chapter.

  💡 Pause our study.

  Show answer

  take a break