break one’s silence—
1. finally bring up a subject:
- Charlotte described the telephone call with which the kidnappers had broken their silence.
2. say smth. after a long pause in conversation:
- Enoch sat hunched and brooding, breaking his silence only to pass the time of day with John Biffen.
break the silence— = break one’s silence 2:
- Everything was quiet and time seemed to stand still until Jill broke the silence saying that Dave had won.