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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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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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
Will Porter, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2025
But an injury put an end to that impressive string of games, as Jovic broke his right hand on Feb. 23 and missed the final 27 games of last regular season.
—Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 28 July 2025
Even now, Clark remains out due to injuring her groin once again just before the All-Star break.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Will Porter has spent the past few years breaking back into tennis by taking lessons and playing matches with friends.
—Will Porter, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2025
But an injury put an end to that impressive string of games, as Jovic broke his right hand on Feb. 23 and missed the final 27 games of last regular season.
—Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
Noun
The Arizona Diamondbacks, 51-55, have already started selling, and the floundering St. Louis Cardinals have gone 3-7 since the break and could begin selling off their assets.
—C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 28 July 2025
Even now, Clark remains out due to injuring her groin once again just before the All-Star break.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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The industry’s year of strikes in 2023 also disrupted the flow of Hollywood movie releases to the local multiplex.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
11 July 2025
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Frequent use can disrupt normal bowel function and lead to laxative dependence or chronic constipation.7 Only use castor oil under medical guidance.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Shortly after Braun’s executive order, the Indiana Department of Health told local health departments to stop accepting requests to change genders on birth certificates.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
24 July 2025
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Maybe those who listen slavishly to Trump and read The Wall Street Journal will stop—all 12 of them.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
Verb
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Morning dopamine spikes from phone use reduce your motivation to pursue slower, more meaningful tasks later.—
Ximena Araya-Fischel,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
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Do not follow large vehicles closely - Large vehicles like trucks or buses can create a spray of water that can reduce your visibility.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
26 July 2025
Verb
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Often when playing against Macdonald’s defense, which is tricky to decipher because of all the post-snap rotations and disguised pressures, the right play is to check it down to a running back or tight end, take 3 or 4 yards and move to the next play.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
27 July 2025
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Obtaining laboratory research experience in Miami impressed on me the power of science to decipher the mechanisms of life and improve human health.—
Seth Tomchik,
Sun Sentinel,
24 July 2025
Verb
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More: Israel pauses some military action in Gaza as starvation spreads: What to know The conference comes as a 22-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza still rages.—
Michelle Nichols,
USA Today,
28 July 2025
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When the tariffs were first announced, Chae temporarily paused ordering from sites such as YesStyle.com, a shopping platform owned by an e-commerce company based in Hong Kong.—
Mae Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
28 July 2025
Verb
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Parking will revert to parallel in the winter to accommodate snow plowing.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
24 July 2025
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The man accused of plowing a car into a crowd outside a popular Los Angeles nightclub and injuring dozens of people was charged with 74 felony counts in connection with the crash, prosecutors announced on July 22.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Under the proposal, violating the permit restrictions would carry a $150 fine.—
John Tuohy,
IndyStar,
23 July 2025
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Then, in November 2023, a mistrial was declared in a federal trial over whether Hankison violated the civil rights of Taylor, her boyfriend and neighbors after the jury could not come to a decision.—
Josh Wood,
The Courier-Journal,
23 July 2025
Verb
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Homicide detectives race against the clock, knowing their best chance to solve a murder is within the first two days!—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
31 July 2025
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StackOverflow plans to commit some of its resources both to expanding AI tool literacy and to fostering community discussions that help solve issues that are specific to workflows that involve those tools.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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