Synonyms of breaks
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as in disrupts 
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as in stops
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as in reduces
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as in deciphers
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as in pauses
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as in plows
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as in violates
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as in solves
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as in damages
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as in dies
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as in retreats
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as in wears
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as in circulates
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as in bankrupts
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as in begins
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as in veers
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as in lowers
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as in exceeds
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as in surfaces
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as in lulls
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as in vacations
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as in gaps
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as in opportunities
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as in accidents
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as in escapes
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Example Sentences
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Entries Near
1
as in disrupts
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
hated telling her that I had broken her favorite glass vase
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stops
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in reduces
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in deciphers
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in pauses
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
7
as in violates
to fail to keep
had to confess that he had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in solves
to find an answer for through reasoning
Professor Bates broke the problem when she realized that it was possible to synthesize the necessary compounds
Synonyms & Similar Words
9
as in damages
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in dies
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in retreats
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in wears
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
13
as in circulates
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
14
as in bankrupts
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts
another bad investment could break him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
15
as in begins
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
16
as in veers
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
17
as in lowers
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
18
as in exceeds
to go beyond the limit of
a menu with prices that is likely to break the budgets of all but the wealthiest of diners
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in lulls
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vacations
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in gaps
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
5
as in accidents
an unexpected benefit or advantage resulting from the uncertain course of events
a guy who just seems to get all the breaks in life
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in escapes
the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement
a desperate break from that hellhole
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of breaks
Ahmad Bajjey, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
Greenson breaks into Monroe's bedroom and finds the 36-year-old movie star lying naked, lifeless, face down on her bed, still clutching the telephone receiver.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2026
But this is not a story about two best friends who break up because of the vagaries of popularity, and Coleman’s Callie is not a villain who breaks Minnie’s delicate heart.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
Americans for Tax Reform breaks it down further.
—Arkansas Online, 11 Feb. 2026
Take the quiz here … CUTTING TIES – Prince William breaks royal code to distance himself from ‘despicable’ uncle Andrew.
—FOXNews.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Ajeé Wilson breaks the American record in the women’s indoor 800 meters to win the event for the fourth straight year in the NYRR Millrose Games.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Shortly afterward, Sweetpea goes to the bathroom, where she’s assaulted by a stranger who breaks her nose along with her sense of security.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026
Biggs’ design also breaks from convention.
—New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
When workers asked politicians in Miami-Dade County for a measure that would ensure basic protections like water and breaks, it was derailed by construction and agriculture lobbyists.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2026
What’s more, in athletes, typical signs of an eating disorder, such as training for long hours without appropriate breaks for meals or obsessing about only consuming certain healthy foods, can be overlooked due to the normalization of these behaviors in high-level sports.
—Emily Hemendinger, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
Launched in England in 2003, T20 took what most Americans still believe is a slow, strange sport that involves funny words, cream outfits and rain breaks, and turned it into a contest that lasts only a bit longer than a baseball game, with big hits, colourful clothes and fireworks.
—Matt Slater, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
The older version of the game, called Test cricket, spreads over five full days of play, and its duration as well as its colonial-era quirks (players wear white while representing their country and take breaks during the day for lunch and tea) have often lent themselves to ridicule.
—Erin Florio, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026
Water main breaks have been frequent across Philadelphia over the last two weeks after a winter storm and the freezing temperatures that followed.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Hauling in $90 per donation, the 18-year-old San Diego State University student also took on tutoring and a part time gig during school breaks to try to pony up enough paper for the tickets.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Zeldin was realistic about potential setbacks, noting infrastructure breaks and weather events could cause pollution before all projects are completed by 2028.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
This can lead to flash flooding in upstream areas within minutes, while areas downstream might see water levels drop suddenly until the jam breaks.
—Ahmad Bajjey, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
Greenson breaks into Monroe's bedroom and finds the 36-year-old movie star lying naked, lifeless, face down on her bed, still clutching the telephone receiver.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2026
But this is not a story about two best friends who break up because of the vagaries of popularity, and Coleman’s Callie is not a villain who breaks Minnie’s delicate heart.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
Americans for Tax Reform breaks it down further.
—Arkansas Online, 11 Feb. 2026
Take the quiz here … CUTTING TIES – Prince William breaks royal code to distance himself from ‘despicable’ uncle Andrew.
—FOXNews.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Ajeé Wilson breaks the American record in the women’s indoor 800 meters to win the event for the fourth straight year in the NYRR Millrose Games.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Shortly afterward, Sweetpea goes to the bathroom, where she’s assaulted by a stranger who breaks her nose along with her sense of security.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026
Biggs’ design also breaks from convention.
—New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2026
Noun
John Merryman Redondo Beach As the NBA season breaks for All-Star weekend, there is one player who is single-handedly leading his fractured team to victory after victory, with his great scoring, passing and stout defense.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
When workers asked politicians in Miami-Dade County for a measure that would ensure basic protections like water and breaks, it was derailed by construction and agriculture lobbyists.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2026
What’s more, in athletes, typical signs of an eating disorder, such as training for long hours without appropriate breaks for meals or obsessing about only consuming certain healthy foods, can be overlooked due to the normalization of these behaviors in high-level sports.
—Emily Hemendinger, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
Launched in England in 2003, T20 took what most Americans still believe is a slow, strange sport that involves funny words, cream outfits and rain breaks, and turned it into a contest that lasts only a bit longer than a baseball game, with big hits, colourful clothes and fireworks.
—Matt Slater, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
The older version of the game, called Test cricket, spreads over five full days of play, and its duration as well as its colonial-era quirks (players wear white while representing their country and take breaks during the day for lunch and tea) have often lent themselves to ridicule.
—Erin Florio, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026
Water main breaks have been frequent across Philadelphia over the last two weeks after a winter storm and the freezing temperatures that followed.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Hauling in $90 per donation, the 18-year-old San Diego State University student also took on tutoring and a part time gig during school breaks to try to pony up enough paper for the tickets.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Zeldin was realistic about potential setbacks, noting infrastructure breaks and weather events could cause pollution before all projects are completed by 2028.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks
Verb
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Recent weather extremes in the South and East are examples of what global warming can cause — a warmer Arctic that disrupts the polar vortex and pushes cold weather and snow farther south.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
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Bad Bunny disrupts this pattern by refusing separation between cultural celebration and political truth.—
Dr. Carlos A Torre,
Hartford Courant,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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According to the death certificate from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, obtained by Rolling Stone, O’Hara’s immediate cause of death was a pulmonary embolism (a clot that stops blood from flowing to an artery in the lung).—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
9 Feb. 2026
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In between dancing and singing and falling backward in the hands of fellow performers, Bad Bunny stops at what looks like a bar on set to get a drink from none other than Brooklyn’s legendary owner of one of the last surviving Puerto Rican social clubs in New York City.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By leveraging light to enhance oxygen electrochemistry, the approach reduces energy losses and extends device lifetime without relying on precious metals.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The hostage standoff ultimately reduces both men into victims, revealing where power really lies.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Qualcomm’s chip can run Linux, along with Arduino software, and can even do computer vision, which deciphers what a camera sees and translates it into software.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
7 Oct. 2025
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With that base knowledge and his opponent’s game tape, Nolan analyzes wide receiver alignments and deciphers the offense's attack.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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One pauses a policy and hopes the controversy fades.—
Shane Harris,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The pair also bicker a bit as Aniston pauses mid-styling session to tame her own ‘do.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
3 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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City of Dallas has only eight snow plows The city of Dallas has only eight snow plows and about 100 sanding trucks for 11,700 lane miles of roads, forcing it to prioritize.—
Julia James,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Anyone who violates the amendment can receive a fine of $100,000, imprisonment for one year or both for their first offense.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
10 Feb. 2026
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According to the complaint, the companies and their subsidiaries repeatedly increased EpiPen prices and paid pharmacy benefit managers to keep rival products off the market, which violates the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, the Indiana Antitrust Act and the Medicaid False Claims Act.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Interestingly, this led to the creation of a lightweight, solid material that solves a major recycling headache of mattresses.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
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The inspiring monkey brain Theilman and Aimone assert that the brain routinely solves similar problems.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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