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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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
These titles include Hijra, from ground-breaking Saudi director Shahad Ameen; TIFF selections Amoeba by Tan Siyou and Maddie by John Early as well as AI documentary Intelligence Rising from Oscar and BAFTA winning filmmaker Elena Andreicheva.
—
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2026
His most recent stop before Arkansas was in Baltimore, Maryland, as a night and breaking news editor.
—Arkansas Online, 31 Mar. 2026
The plot, spread thin to the point of breaking even at a scant 98 minutes, loosely adapts that of the original game.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
And antisemitic ideas have proven trivially easy to recycle, reuse, repurpose, and adapt to breaking news.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Sentinel staff took first place in breaking news for collaborating on the Epic Universe opening, providing coverage on wait times, a ride guide for the park and a timeline of how the theme park evolved.
—Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
Betul, who knows a thing or two about breaking free of familial ties, is emotional and warm in her response.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
These companies are sometimes willing to take greater risks because breaking even in theatrical isn’t the end-all-be-all goal.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
Rebecca Cohen Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2026
His most recent stop before Arkansas was in Baltimore, Maryland, as a night and breaking news editor.
—Arkansas Online, 31 Mar. 2026
The plot, spread thin to the point of breaking even at a scant 98 minutes, loosely adapts that of the original game.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
And antisemitic ideas have proven trivially easy to recycle, reuse, repurpose, and adapt to breaking news.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Sentinel staff took first place in breaking news for collaborating on the Epic Universe opening, providing coverage on wait times, a ride guide for the park and a timeline of how the theme park evolved.
—Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
Betul, who knows a thing or two about breaking free of familial ties, is emotional and warm in her response.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
These companies are sometimes willing to take greater risks because breaking even in theatrical isn’t the end-all-be-all goal.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
Rebecca Cohen Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking
Verb
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Gangs control significant supply routes, disrupting access to medicine and equipment.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
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The cyberattack affected Stryker’s internal Microsoft software system, disrupting the company’s order processing, manufacturing and shipping.—
William Akoto,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Brooke Bereuter was masterful in goal for Grapevine shutting out Argyle (18-4-3) until the shootout, including stopping a key penalty kick in the first half.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
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And on Monday, March 30, the court upheld the stay, effectively stopping any chance that the execution would happen as scheduled.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One bill focuses on reducing construction costs by updating building codes.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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While these methods remain effective, excessive tilling can break down soil aggregates into smaller particles, reducing soil health and increasing erosion risk.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The clicks are part of a growing sperm whale phonetic alphabet that researchers at CETI are deciphering.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
26 Mar. 2026
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Binary neutron stars have long been considered the best bet for deciphering what lurks within.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Physically frail, yet in full verbal command, Julian doesn’t talk to Lori so much as at her, pausing only to fire off questions that harden, in midair, into assumptions.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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Trump blinked, pausing and watering down many of those tariffs in response to extreme market pressure.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After Anthropic accidentally leaked the source code to its blockbuster Claude chatbot, netizens swiftly pounced to start plowing through its more than 512,000 lines of code — and have uncovered numerous curiosities sprinkled throughout.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
1 Apr. 2026
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The spacecraft is expected to take a steeper angle on its final descent, plowing through the atmosphere faster to minimize the time the heat shield is exposed to the most extreme temperatures.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In their filing in Sacramento Superior Court, the residents accuse city officials of violating Measure O, which mandates that interim shelters sit more than 500 feet away from bodies of water or streams.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Sculptor and illustrator Jacques Tilly, who designed the aforementioned float, has been reported to the police for disseminating hate speech and violating the Criminal Code, which prohibits the use of Nazi imagery for purposes not expressly linked to art, scholarship, teaching, or reporting.—
Tim Brinkhof,
JSTOR Daily,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The action to rescue her falls eventually to Mario and Luigi, having relocated permanently to the Mushroom Kingdom and serving as protectors of the realm, solving problems for its inhabitants.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
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The team is solving a case that could save their agency.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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