Synonyms of breaking
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as in disrupting 
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as in stopping
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as in reducing
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as in deciphering
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as in pausing
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as in plowing
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as in violating
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as in solving
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as in damaging
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as in dying
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as in retreating
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as in wearing
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as in spreading
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as in bankrupting
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as in originating
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as in veering
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as in lowering
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as in exceeding
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as in surfacing
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Example Sentences
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Phrases Containing
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Entries Near
1
as in disrupting
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 stopping
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
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3
as in reducing
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 deciphering
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 pausing
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
as in plowing
to cut into and turn over the sod of (a piece of land) using a bladed implement
farmers once broke fields with horse-drawn plows
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7
as in violating
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 solving
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 damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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10
as in dying
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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11
as in retreating
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 wearing
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
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13
as in spreading
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
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14
as in bankrupting
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts
another bad investment could break him
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15
as in originating
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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16
as in veering
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 lowering
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
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18
as in exceeding
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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19
as in surfacing
to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below
dolphins were breaking all around the boat
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of breaking
The Games also keep broadening their reach to new or revisited sports – breaking (breakdancing) in Paris; ski mountaineering in Milan; squash, lacrosse, cricket and flag football in Los Angeles.
—
Dana Oneil, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Bjoergen captures her 11th career medal, breaking a three-way tie with Russian Raisa Smetanina and Italian Stefania Belmondo.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Autobiography of Cotton also seems in conversation with Juan Rulfo, not simply his ground-breaking 1955 novel Pedro Páramo, but his work life and travels throughout Mexico, including his decades with the National Institute for Indigenous People.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
There are plenty of woeful online tales lamenting ovens breaking and glass shattering under the 800- to 1,000-degrees Fahrenheit heat of a self-cleaning oven cycle.
—Jessica Elliott, Dallas Morning News, 10 Feb. 2026
Jacob Beltran covers crime, breaking news and general assignments for the Express-News.
—Jacob Beltran, San Antonio Express-News, 10 Feb. 2026
Dennis Romero Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
In an ideal world, that probably looked like at least a starting-quality left winger and a prime-age central midfielder who excels at line-breaking passes.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Dana Oneil, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Bjoergen captures her 11th career medal, breaking a three-way tie with Russian Raisa Smetanina and Italian Stefania Belmondo.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Autobiography of Cotton also seems in conversation with Juan Rulfo, not simply his ground-breaking 1955 novel Pedro Páramo, but his work life and travels throughout Mexico, including his decades with the National Institute for Indigenous People.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
There are plenty of woeful online tales lamenting ovens breaking and glass shattering under the 800- to 1,000-degrees Fahrenheit heat of a self-cleaning oven cycle.
—Jessica Elliott, Dallas Morning News, 10 Feb. 2026
Jacob Beltran covers crime, breaking news and general assignments for the Express-News.
—Jacob Beltran, San Antonio Express-News, 10 Feb. 2026
Dennis Romero Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
In an ideal world, that probably looked like at least a starting-quality left winger and a prime-age central midfielder who excels at line-breaking passes.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking
Verb
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While Andreessen saw software disrupting industries, Morgan Stanley sees AI disrupting labor itself.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
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Want to know more about how AI is disrupting Hollywood?—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the heavily Latino area of south Oklahoma City, ICE agents have been patrolling in unmarked vehicles and stopping work trucks of roofers, painters and electricians, Brooks Jimenez said.—
Nuria Martinez-Keel,
Oklahoma Voice,
10 Feb. 2026
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Lily did exactly the right thing by stopping and asking first.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The system responded within milliseconds, fast enough to support real-time reactions such as pulling away from harmful contact or reducing applied force during interaction.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Feb. 2026
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Republicans argued the bill would accomplish little in the way of reducing rates and would demonize utility executives.—
Christine Condon,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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As an avalanche and dead bodies ratchet up the suspense, Zach must lean on his mother’s wisdom to fight for his life while deciphering a confusing undercurrent of danger, violence and betrayal among the survivors.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Terjesen used hand gestures to emphasize some lines, pausing more at punctuation than at line breaks.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
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In a jean jacket and black dress, Savannah Guthrie walked through prickly pear cactus fields, even pausing to poke the thorny plants.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This plowing effort began on Sunday and is now a 24-hour operation, according to the city's Department of Public Works.—
Tara Lynch,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
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Providence Mayor Brett Smiley put superior snow removal at the heart of his winning election campaign four years ago, but is now seeing his administration's plowing plan questioned by Democratic primary opponent David Morales in the wake of last weekend's storm.—
Patrick Anderson,
The Providence Journal,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After Conley admitted to violating parole in federal court on Monday, Hall revoked his supervised release and sentenced him to 21 months in or with no supervised release to follow.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
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Wiener is also pushing new legislation — called the No Kings Act — that would allow people in California to sue federal agents for violating their rights.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The research team focused on solving this problem at the hardware level rather than relying only on software improvements.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
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Implicit learning uses different parts of the brain than solving problems or understanding the meanings of words, Albert said.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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