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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Entries Near
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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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Relevance
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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
Doha Madani, NBC news, 16 Feb. 2026
Until the league comes up with a legitimate deterrence to tanking, nothing will keep teams from breaking bad.
—Kevin Sherrington
feb. 16, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
The teenagers are back in Chicago for a break, but may return to Minnesota or another state that is facing federal immigration enforcement.
—Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Doha Madani Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 16 Feb. 2026
Until the league comes up with a legitimate deterrence to tanking, nothing will keep teams from breaking bad.
—Kevin Sherrington
feb. 16, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
Noun
After the last couple of years of periodical cicada activity, this year brings a pleasant break from periodical brood activity.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
The teenagers are back in Chicago for a break, but may return to Minnesota or another state that is facing federal immigration enforcement.
—Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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Economic and religious activities disrupted by DHS Muslims in Minneapolis, estimated now to be more than 100,000, have lived in the city for well over a century, and the city has embraced them.—
Yahya Salem,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Her beau-to-be follows her into the fields and sneaks up on her, stumbling over a rock at the last possible moment, disrupting what might have been her first actual orgasm.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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From open models to real-world applications, China has shown that constraints have not stopped it from gaining ground.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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From there, James made second-team All-NBA the next season and didn’t stop landing on one of the three teams until this season.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Upon his arrival, Thaksin was sentenced to eight years in prison on earlier corruption convictions, a term swiftly reduced to one year following a royal pardon.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Cutting convoy risk Army planners see cargo drones as a way to reduce dependence on traditional resupply convoys.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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How fans experience the game and how referees decipher controversial calls will only get better as visual AI advances.—
Jason Corso,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
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Health care professionals are now caught between deciphering new legislation and their duty to provide quality care.—
Eleanor Sobel,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Ben Shelton pauses between serves as a ball kid retrieves a tennis ball during the singles finals of the Dallas Open men's tennis tournament which was held at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on February 15, 2026.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
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That left only three crew members to keep the place running — one American and two Russians — prompting NASA to pause spacewalks and trim research.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The South Shore community donned their colonial and Civil War attire and took to the streets alongside municipal snow plows to ring in the 49th annual Lincoln Day Saturday.—
Stuart Cahill,
Boston Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
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Use extra caution while driving, as cold temperatures and wind can create icy road conditions, and snow plowed to the roadway edges may reduce sight lines at intersection.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This violates the 4th Amendment, which protects people (including noncitizens) from unreasonable searches and seizures in their homes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
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But a spokesperson for Kelly said the governor has deep concerns that SB 387 could jeopardize Kansas’ $250 million in federal school meal funding and potentially violate the Legislature’s school funding obligations set by the Kansas Supreme Court.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Administration officials said the plan will help the West move beyond complaining about the problem of access to critical minerals to actually solving it.—
DIDI TANG,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
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The levees that solved its flooding concerns also hampered its growth.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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