1
as in to stop
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the judge broke off court proceedings until after lunch
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to end
to come to an end
talks between the two sides broke off when one began making unreasonable demands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break off
Higher, faster, changing keys, breaking off into riffs and climaxes.
—
Anelise Chen, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2025
Sherri Crichton was thrilled that the original team behind ER wanted to do a reboot and was shocked when Warner Bros. abruptly broke off negotiations and announced The Pitt – a carbon copy of the ER reboot that was pitched to her.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2025
Most of the microplastic is shed in the first two minutes of chewing, the release says, because the grinding of teeth causes the plastic to break off.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Avoid jerking the valve or forcing it to turn, as this could cause the valve to break off.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break off
Anelise Chen, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2025
Sherri Crichton was thrilled that the original team behind ER wanted to do a reboot and was shocked when Warner Bros. abruptly broke off negotiations and announced The Pitt – a carbon copy of the ER reboot that was pitched to her.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2025
Most of the microplastic is shed in the first two minutes of chewing, the release says, because the grinding of teeth causes the plastic to break off.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Avoid jerking the valve or forcing it to turn, as this could cause the valve to break off.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break off
Verb
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Has Bacteria-Fighting Properties A study found that ACV helped stop the growth of two harmful bacteria: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli).—
Johna Burdeos,
Health,
7 Apr. 2025
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Hansi Flick will surely remember the outstanding save from former Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian to stop Jules Kounde in the second half, as well as the last-minute cross from Raphinha that Robert Lewandowski or Fermin Lopez failed to tap in.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Listen to this article The Trump administration is pressuring Harvard University to end DEI programs and ban masks at protests in order to keep its billions of dollars in federal funding.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2025
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Here, then, there are no fierce battles that end within a matter of minutes, and no miles-long journeys glossed over by a convenient dissolve.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Yellow’s bankruptcy journey has lasted roughly 20 months, with the century-old less-than-truckload (LTL) company ceasing operations July 30, 2023.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
1 Apr. 2025
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If Jun-no can’t turn things around quickly the company may cease to exist.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Many of the tariffs on Chinese products remained in place during the Joe Biden administration while others expired.—
Lee Habeeb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Apr. 2025
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The manual lacks instructions on timer and temperature usage, and there is no confirmation that the automatic shut-off feature is effective when the timer expires.—
Jordan Liberty Phillips,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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During a recent visit to Beijing, Trump ally and US Senator Steve Daines told Bloomberg News that China must halt the flow of fentanyl ingredients into the US before any trade negotiations could begin.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2025
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President Donald Trump has worked to advance his agenda at lightning speed, but courts have halted those efforts after an avalanche of challenges to his actions.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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During her time on the long-running ABC drama, which concluded after 12 seasons in 2005, Delaney won an Emmy in 1997 for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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In its most recent meeting, which concluded on March 19, Fed officials acknowledged growing economic uncertainty, prompting them to raise their inflation forecast while lowering their growth outlook.—
Garth Friesen,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But just three months later, Zhang suddenly quit the cloud unit.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2025
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The basketball world may have given up on the Suns, one of the NBA’s most disappointing teams, months ago, but aside from a blowout loss to the defending-champion Boston Celtics on Wednesday, Phoenix isn’t quitting on itself, in part because this has become Booker’s team to run.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Bricker was born without legs due to a uterine band cutting off the blood supply to her lower limbs in utero.—
Colson Thayer,
People.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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Most recently, Ukrainian air force Sukhoi Su-27 fighters have been hurling the bombs at bridges in Belgorod Oblast in western Russia, aiming to cut off Russian troops in the oblast’s border region, where Ukrainian brigades have launched small-scale incursions.—
David Axe,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20off. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.
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