break the mold
English
Alternative forms
- break the mould
Etymology
From the use of molds to make multiple replicas of solid objects using moldable materials.
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb
break the mold (third-person singular simple present breaks the mold, present participle breaking the mold, simple past broke the mold, past participle broken the mold)
- (figuratively) To depart from a traditional pattern; to defy convention.
- 1953, A. B. Guthrie Jr.; Jack Sher, Shane, spoken by Shane (Alan Ladd):
- A man has to be what he is, Joey. Can't break the mould. I tried it and it didn't work for me.
- 1997, Theodore R. Sizer, Horace's School: Redesigning the American High School, page 12:
- President Bush joined in; his 1991 education message called for new kinds of schools, ones that "broke the mold".
- 2021 November 26, Oscar Lopez, “‘Today’s Outfit Is Confidence’: Atypical TikTok Star Enchants Mexico”, in The New York Times, ISSN 0362-4331:
- Middle-aged and scarred, a Mexican journalist is breaking the mold of social media influencers with a message of pure positivity that resonates in dark times.
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- To make it impossible for an identical copy to be made.
- 2001, Adam Troy Castro, Spiderman: Revenge of the Sinister Six:
- When they made him, they broke the mold. lt was a cliche that had been spoken about any number of men, for any number of different reasons.
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Translations
to depart from tradition
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