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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Related Articles
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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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
George Ramsay and Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025
The meeting doesn’t end up going as planned, as King Harold conspires with the Fairy Godmother (voiced by Jennifer Saunders) to break Shrek and Fiona apart and pair the princess with Prince Charming (voiced by Rupert Everett).
—Jane Lacroix, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
The Kings led 65-54 at the halftime break after shooting 51.1% while holding the Grizzlies to 45.7%.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
The race was almost entirely engineered for the high school student to break the fabled four-minute barrier – a feat first achieved by Roger Bannister more than 70 years ago – but the weight of running history was a burden that Ruthe seemed to bear lightly.
—George Ramsay and Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025
The meeting doesn’t end up going as planned, as King Harold conspires with the Fairy Godmother (voiced by Jennifer Saunders) to break Shrek and Fiona apart and pair the princess with Prince Charming (voiced by Rupert Everett).
—Jane Lacroix, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Noun
Winter-window singing Carlos Alcaraz, on loan from Flamengo, and Beto have given them a more potent edge on the break.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
The Kings led 65-54 at the halftime break after shooting 51.1% while holding the Grizzlies to 45.7%.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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DDoS Threats Cybercriminals threaten Distributed Denial of Service attacks to disrupt personal websites unless payment is made.—
Alex Vakulov,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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Yes, but: A much more straightforward way to disrupt the vaccine market would be to simply cancel government contracts with manufacturers.—
Caitlin Owens,
Axios,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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There’s nothing to stop this being made available to other OEMs.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Tell her to stop being stingy and pay for her own subscriptions.—
Karen Fratti,
People.com,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Standardization can also reduce due diligence burdens.—
The Sorenson Impact Institute,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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This has, among other losses, reduced Egyptian revenue from the Suez Canal by about eight hundred million dollars a month.—
Bernard Avishai,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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One such problem is a too-common vocal style that is expressed in guttural growls, making lyrics difficult to decipher — at least for me.—
Mikal Gilmore,
Rolling Stone,
30 Mar. 2025
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Mathematicians are deciphered, disfigured, discounted, and dissolved.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In addition to that, all other Citadel spin-offs have been paused, maybe until after season 2, maybe indefinitely.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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In addition to asking the Supreme Court to overturn Boasberg's order pausing the flights, the administration also asked the justices to put the order on hold while considering that request.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Low-key Hildebrand, who lives in Charleston and previously served on the boards of two water nonprofits, has plowed his money into financial technology, biotech and artificial intelligence startups.—
Jemima McEvoy,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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Dovetail Workwear is plowing new ground in women’s workwear.—
Andre Claudio,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The latest case before the court involves Louisiana's congressional map, which was redrawn last year to add a second majority-Black district to comply with Section 2, but then was found to be a racial gerrymander that violated the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2025
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Typically, the Office for Civil Rights investigates a complaint and finds out whether a school or district has violated its obligation to serve students with disabilities.—
Kayla Jimenez,
USA TODAY,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Even in tools available today, programs that can generate artwork and solve coding problems are among the most popular.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2025
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Additionally, the blockchain tracking system the FBI developed for this case can be used to solve future scams.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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