break·away
ˈbrā-kə-ˌwā 
1
a
: one that breaks away
b
: a departure from or rejection of something (such as a group or tradition)
2
a
: a play (as in hockey) in which an offensive player breaks free of the defenders and rushes toward the goal
b
: a sudden acceleration by one or more bicyclists pulling away from the pack in a race
3
: an object made to shatter or collapse under pressure or impact
1
: favoring independence from an affiliation : seceding
a breakaway faction formed a new party
2
: made to break, shatter, or bend easily
breakaway road signs for highway safety
3
a
: of, relating to, or resulting from a breakaway
a breakaway goal
b
: allowing or having an ability to execute a breakaway
breakaway speed
broke away; broken away; breaking away; breaks away
1
: to detach oneself especially from a group : get away
2
: to depart from former or accustomed ways
3
: to pull away with a burst of speed
Examples of breakaway in a Sentence
Adjective
A breakaway faction formed a new party.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The breakaway region in the Caucasus Mountains was home to around 120,000 ethnic Armenians and while it is internationally considered as part of Azerbaijan, it was controlled by Armenian separatists since the fall of the Soviet Union.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Yevgeny Kuklychev
ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
In 2008, Russia and Georgia went to war over the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024
Daniel Kohn, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2025
Captive insurance companies allow businesses to break away from that outdated insurance model and build forward-looking risk programs rooted in transparency, adaptability, and strategic capital deployment.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakaway
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Its breakaway region of Transnistria, which neighbors Odesa, is described by the European Council as being occupied by Russia, which has troops stationed there.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The breakaway region in the Caucasus Mountains was home to around 120,000 ethnic Armenians and while it is internationally considered as part of Azerbaijan, it was controlled by Armenian separatists since the fall of the Soviet Union.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Moscow has moved many of its vessels toward its Novorossiysk base, and satellite imagery indicates Russia is establishing another Black Sea base in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia.
—Yevgeny Kuklychev
ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
In 2008, Russia and Georgia went to war over the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024
Verb
Both with Paramore and her own solo career, Williams knows a thing or two about breaking away from a particular sonic corner while bringing her audience along for the ride.
—Daniel Kohn, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2025
Captive insurance companies allow businesses to break away from that outdated insurance model and build forward-looking risk programs rooted in transparency, adaptability, and strategic capital deployment.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakaway
Cite this Entry
“Breakaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakaway. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share