1
general::
Make something known, as in We suspected that she was pregnant but waited for her to break the news to her in-laws. This term, in slightly different form (break a matter or break a business), dates from the early 1500s. Another variant is the 20th-century journalistic phrase, break a story, meaning "to reveal a news item or make it available for publication."
American Heritage Idioms
2
general::
Phrase(s): break the news (to someone)
to tell someone some important news, usually bad news. (See also break something to someone.) • The doctor had to break the news to Jane about her husband’s cancer. • I hope that the doctor broke the news gently.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs