break ranks

verb

To march or charge out of the designated order in a military unit.

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Meanings

verbbreak ranks (third-person singular simple present breaks ranks, present participle breaking ranks, simple past broke ranks, past participle broken ranks)

present singular third person breaks ranks · participle present breaking ranks · past broke ranks · participle past broken ranks · alternative break rank

  1. governmentTo march or charge out of the designated order in a military unit.
  2. idiomaticTo publicly disagree with one's own group or organization.

Translations

Arabic انْشَقَّ, انْشَقَّ
  • انْشَقَّmarch out of the designated order
  • انْشَقَّpublicly disagree with one's own group
Chinese Mandarin 打亂隊形 /打乱队形, 擅自行動 /擅自行动
  • 打亂隊形 /打乱队形 (dǎluàn duìxíng)march out of the designated order
  • 擅自行動 /擅自行动 (shànzì xíngdòng)march out of the designated order
  • 公開異議 /公开异议 (gōngkāi yìyì)publicly disagree with one's own group
Finnish poiketa rivistä, poiketa rivistä
  • poiketa rivistämarch out of the designated order
  • poiketa rivistäpublicly disagree with one's own group
  • potkia aisan ylipublicly disagree with one's own group
French rompre les rangs, se désolidariser
  • rompre les rangsmarch out of the designated order
  • se désolidariserpublicly disagree with one's own group
German aus der Reihe treten, aus der Reihe tanzen
  • aus der Reihe tretenmarch out of the designated order
  • aus der Reihe tanzenpublicly disagree with one's own group
Italian rompere le fila, uscire dai ranghi
  • rompere le filamarch out of the designated order
  • uscire dai ranghipublicly disagree with one's own group
Polish wyłamać się
  • wyłamać sięmarch out of the designated order
Portuguese sair de formação, romper com
  • sair de formaçãomarch out of the designated order
  • romper compublicly disagree with one's own group
Russian расстра́иваться, расстро́иться
  • расстра́иваться (rasstráivatʹsja)march out of the designated order
  • расстро́иться (rasstróitʹsja)march out of the designated order
  • расстра́иваться (rasstráivatʹsja)publicly disagree with one's own group
  • расстро́иться (rasstróitʹsja)publicly disagree with one's own group
Spanish romper filas
  • romper filasmarch out of the designated order
Cite this entry
APA

break ranks. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20ranks

MLA

“break ranks.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20ranks. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “break ranks,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20ranks.

Source: break ranks on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.