Meaning & use
summer break
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Meanings
nouncountableAmerican
The long period in summer when schools and universities close and students do not attend classes.
Grammar: Usually singular with the: over the summer break.
Patterns
- during summer break
- over the summer break
Students work part-time jobs during summer break.
The school repaired the roof over summer break.
She traveled to Italy over the summer break.
nouncountableinformal
A short vacation taken in the summer by workers or families.
Grammar: Informal, about a trip: a summer break in Spain.
Patterns
- take a summer break
- a summer break in somewhere
We booked a summer break by the coast.
He needed a summer break after the busy season.
Their summer break was just three days at the lake.
Word forms
| plural | summer breaks |
|---|
Common combinations
- during the summer break
- I read ten books during the summer break.
- long summer break
- Children enjoy the long summer break.
- enjoy a summer break
- We hope to enjoy a summer break by the sea.
- the end of summer break
- At the end of summer break, students return.
Synonyms and how they differ
- summer vacation
- Summer vacation is the American equivalent and means the same period.
- summer holidays
- Summer holidays is the usual British term and is plural.
- summer recess
- Summer recess is more formal and used for parliaments or courts.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: summer break or spring break?
summer break vs spring break
Spring break is a shorter holiday in March or April, unlike the long summer break.
Practice
Teachers use the ___ to rest and plan lessons for the next year.
Choose one answer.
Summer break is the long vacation when school is closed. Exam week and winter term are not vacations.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “summer break”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.