Synonyms of break
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as in to disrupt 
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as in to stop
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as in to reduce
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as in to decipher
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as in to pause
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as in to plow
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as in to violate
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as in to solve
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as in to damage
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as in to die
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as in to retreat
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as in to wear
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as in to circulate
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as in to ruin
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as in to begin
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as in to veer
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as in to depress
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as in to exceed
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as in to surface
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as in pause
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as in vacation
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as in gap
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as in opportunity
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as in accident
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as in escape
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Example Sentences
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Phrases Containing
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1
as in to disrupt
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
hated telling her that I had broken her favorite glass vase
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Relevance
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2
as in to stop
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
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3
as in to reduce
to bring to a lower grade or rank
the captain was broken to lieutenant commander for disobeying a direct order from his group commander
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4
as in to decipher
to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language
Alan Turing and the Bletchley Park mathematicians broke the Enigma code being used by the Nazis
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5
as in to pause
to come to a temporary halt in one's activity
she broke from her ruminations to find that it was already dinnertime
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6
7
as in to violate
to fail to keep
had to confess that he had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone
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8
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning
Professor Bates broke the problem when she realized that it was possible to synthesize the necessary compounds
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9
as in to damage
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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10
as in to die
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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11
as in to retreat
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the herd of gazelles broke when they saw the lions racing toward them from the ridge above
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12
as in to wear
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
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13
as in to circulate
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
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14
15
as in to begin
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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16
as in to veer
to depart abruptly from a straight line or course
the running back broke to his left before running out of bounds
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17
as in to depress
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
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18
as in to exceed
to go beyond the limit of
a menu with prices that is likely to break the budgets of all but the wealthiest of diners
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1
as in pause
a momentary halt in an activity
there was a brief break after the first movement as the doors to the concert hall were opened and the latecomers were allowed in
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2
as in vacation
a period during which the usual routine of school or work is suspended
most of the students at the boarding school are going home for Christmas break
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3
as in gap
an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge)
the rancher repaired the break in the fence where the horse had gotten through
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4
5
as in accident
an unexpected benefit or advantage resulting from the uncertain course of events
a guy who just seems to get all the breaks in life
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6
as in escape
the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement
a desperate break from that hellhole
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of break
Hao Lam, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
But what Trump has capitalized on is a simple reality that is true — and that is our system is broken.
—Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2025
Breaking down Sacramento Kings’ playoff chances, roster, schedule after NBA All-Star break, via Jason Anderson.
—Stephen Hobbs, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
For example, if the goal is to launch a new product, start by breaking it down into market research, product development, marketing strategy and sales outreach.
—Hao Lam, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
But what Trump has capitalized on is a simple reality that is true — and that is our system is broken.
—Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
Noun
The Nets had the No. 1 defense in the NBA over their last 10 games entering the All-Star break, and didn’t skip a beat at that end of the court on Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2025
Breaking down Sacramento Kings’ playoff chances, roster, schedule after NBA All-Star break, via Jason Anderson.
—Stephen Hobbs, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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Then, in 2020, Covid restrictions disrupted her income flow and offended her sense of individual rights.—
Meridith Kohut,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
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Canal authorities were forced to reduce the transits from a typical 36 a day to 24, disrupting global supply chains.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Outside of suicide, the only way for a terminally ill person in Ohio to hasten their own death is to refuse life-prolonging treatments or to stop eating and drinking.—
Tim Botos,
USA TODAY,
18 Feb. 2025
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My advice to Democratic voters is to stop your whining about everything and save your complaints for the midterm election.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Guided by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, the Trump administration has moved aggressively the past week to fire probationary workers across federal departments and agencies in an effort to drastically reduce the size of the government.—
Joey Garrison,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
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An extra set of eyes and ears helps reduce the odds of injury.—
Josh Honeycutt,
Outdoor Life,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Millennials will love deciphering which real-life stars inspired the plot.—
Tia Williams,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
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Freshman Max Granville tried to decipher whether defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was staying.—
Audrey Snyder,
The Athletic,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Ground search efforts continued until 1:00 a.m. before pausing until daylight.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
22 Feb. 2025
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The financial industry sued, and a federal judge paused it.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA TODAY,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The cache area was a real battleground, with trees, brush, small vegetation, earth, and snow all plowed up.—
Tom Stacer,
Outdoor Life,
20 Feb. 2025
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This would allow Venture to sell uncontracted volumes and plow the proceeds into future expansions, according to JPMorgan.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey was among those saying the group had not violated any laws.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA TODAY,
18 Feb. 2025
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Investigators subsequently tracked down and arrested Nathan on a charge of violating an injunction barring contact with the child and her mother.—
David J. Neal and,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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With his cozy storefront nestled in London’s Archangel Lane, Book offers his services to the local police, helping solve the most intricate cases.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2025
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In some cases, marinating or cooking can solve this problem.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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