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
John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
On the clean breakaway, Eyssimont faked Bobrovsky to the ice and then tucked it around the netminder’s skate for his eighth.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
As a folky slowcore album discussing childhood woes with straightforward but descriptive songwriting, III doesn’t do much to break away from its obvious influences, chief among them Mark Kozelek.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for breakaway
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Noun
The Rattlers went up by four points on Nehemiah Miller’s breakaway dunk, but he was charged with a technical foul for hanging on the rim.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
On the clean breakaway, Eyssimont faked Bobrovsky to the ice and then tucked it around the netminder’s skate for his eighth.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
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
The new option breaks away from the previous model of purchasing real estate alone, broadening the program beyond those just interested in buying property.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
As a folky slowcore album discussing childhood woes with straightforward but descriptive songwriting, III doesn’t do much to break away from its obvious influences, chief among them Mark Kozelek.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for breakaway
Cite this Entry
“Breakaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakaway. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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