breaktime

Noun

breaktime (countable and uncountable, plural breaktimes)

1. (US) A break for a worker or workers that splits a period of work.
   • Supervisor Laws asserts that when the incident occurred it was not the breaktime of either Tingler or Parnell. (4:760,789.)2007, National Labor Relations Board (U.S.) (editor), Decisions and Orders of the National Labor Relations Board, Volume 346: November 28, 2005—May 8, 2006, page 39
2. (UK) A break for schoolchildren between lessons.
   • It tends to evaluate the liking for, and the acceptance of, the pupils in their class as peers, rather than asking children to specifically select their friends, breaktime and home companions.1992, David Freer, Towards Open Schools: Possibilities and Realities for Non-Racial Education in South Africa, page 130
   • The significance of breaktimes as a mechanism for children to develop social competence is highlighted in much of Peter Blatchford's work.2006, Brigette Bishop, Promoting Friendships in the Playground: A Peer Befriending Programme for Primary Schools, page 4

   Synonyms:

   lunchtime, playtime, recess