Break
Break verb - To change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language.
Usage example: Alan Turing and the Bletchley Park mathematicians broke the Enigma code being used by the Nazis
Solve is a synonym for break in decipher topic. In some cases you can use "Solve" instead a verb "Break", when it comes to topics like decode.
Solve
Solve verb - To find an answer for through reasoning.
Usage example: it took me half an hour to solve the logic puzzle
Break is a synonym for solve in answer topic. Sometimes you can use "Break" instead a verb "Solve", if it concerns topics such as find an answer to.
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- Solve the Soup Cans: Mostly avoided, but a few instances Played for Laughs, like having to break the Red Wool with a Cake.
-
Aya can only break barrels, crates and other weak objects with it, so it's used more to explore the environment and solve puzzles.
Source: Chainsaw Good -
She's got a manhunt to head, a new partner to break in, and X-Files to solve, pregnancy be damned!
Source: Pregnant Badass
Cite this Source
Solve and Break. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 13, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/solve
Break & Solve. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/solve>.
Solve or Break. 2016. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/solve.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "break" and "solve" have occurred on timeline