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
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Relevance
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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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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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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
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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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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
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9
as in damages
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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10
as in dies
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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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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12
as in wears
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
13
as in circulates
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
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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
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15
as in begins
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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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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17
as in lowers
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
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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
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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
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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
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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of breaks
Greg Mellen, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
At the climax, bleeding from an old stomach wound, Hobbs breaks his favorite bat, takes a replacement from an adoring batboy, and hits a home run with his final swing.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
Whole Foods Market deals Whole Foods breaks its deals down into larger savings for Amazon Prime members (Amazon owns Whole Foods) and regular savings for non-Prime members.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
This breaks the Comedy Central show's usual routine of having Stewart host Monday nights.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Jen has faith in our justice system, understands that anyone who breaks the law will be punished, and accepts this sentence as just.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
The legend breaks a streak of previous contestant cohosts.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2025
Pay close attention to if anyone breaks from the majority.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
However, one breaks the mould more than the rest.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Jacob Kupietzky, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The Prince and Princess of Wales are known to retreat there with their kids, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, during free weekends, school breaks and holidays, and the Georgian manor is where Kate keeps her beehives.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
Seating also contributes to the café experience and can accommodate long hours of work, short breaks, or collaborative group gatherings.
—Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Sep. 2025
Tequila Sunrise will serve as a sidekick to Margo Rita during breaks between musical performances.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 18 Sep. 2025
Technically, his performance notably accompanies the musical text with drum breaks and underscoring between scenes, emphasizing the musicality of McCraney’s writing and the actors’ tempo.
—Essence, 17 Sep. 2025
Take walking breaks during the day, and avoid sitting for several hours at a time.
—Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2025
The host introduces and closes out each session, and for longer sessions, the host also times the work sprints and breaks.
—PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2025
Ursa Major breaks ground in Colorado.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
Broken Yolk Cafe Already known for its extensive breakfast menu, Broken Yolk, breaks into the list among diners as a favorites for brunch.
—Greg Mellen, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
At the climax, bleeding from an old stomach wound, Hobbs breaks his favorite bat, takes a replacement from an adoring batboy, and hits a home run with his final swing.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
Whole Foods Market deals Whole Foods breaks its deals down into larger savings for Amazon Prime members (Amazon owns Whole Foods) and regular savings for non-Prime members.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
This breaks the Comedy Central show's usual routine of having Stewart host Monday nights.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Jen has faith in our justice system, understands that anyone who breaks the law will be punished, and accepts this sentence as just.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
The legend breaks a streak of previous contestant cohosts.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2025
Pay close attention to if anyone breaks from the majority.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
However, one breaks the mould more than the rest.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
One study found the most productive employees work in 75-minute sprints followed by 33-minute breaks.
—Jacob Kupietzky, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The Prince and Princess of Wales are known to retreat there with their kids, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, during free weekends, school breaks and holidays, and the Georgian manor is where Kate keeps her beehives.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
Seating also contributes to the café experience and can accommodate long hours of work, short breaks, or collaborative group gatherings.
—Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Sep. 2025
Tequila Sunrise will serve as a sidekick to Margo Rita during breaks between musical performances.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 18 Sep. 2025
Technically, his performance notably accompanies the musical text with drum breaks and underscoring between scenes, emphasizing the musicality of McCraney’s writing and the actors’ tempo.
—Essence, 17 Sep. 2025
Take walking breaks during the day, and avoid sitting for several hours at a time.
—Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2025
The host introduces and closes out each session, and for longer sessions, the host also times the work sprints and breaks.
—PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2025
Ursa Major breaks ground in Colorado.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks
Verb
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Fall fatigue is often linked to the decrease in sunlight, which disrupts your body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm) and can lower serotonin levels, a key mood-regulating hormone.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Creating a hostile environment that disrupts the event or puts others at risk.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Michigan doesn’t have a statewide protocol for notifying residents when fluoridation stops.—
Anna Clark,
ProPublica,
18 Sep. 2025
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If those guardrails aren’t in place, the story stops being theirs.—
Kristine Johnson,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Unlike the closed-coupe Chiron, which cocoons you from its inner workings, the Mistral delivers a raw mechanical sound bath, tempered only by a pop-in wind deflector (fixed in examples for North America)—just aft of the seats—that reduces cabin turbulence and shields air-flow.—
Basem Wasef,
Robb Report,
20 Sep. 2025
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This ongoing improvement reduces the organization’s dependency on manual inputs from customers, account managers and sales teams, creating a more autonomous and data-driven process.—
Andre Claudio,
Sourcing Journal,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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My body no longer deciphers its signals correctly.—
Alaa Alqaisi
August 13,
Literary Hub,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Leaders should also model pauses themselves.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Wayans, himself now a father of three who is working from home that day, pauses to speak with his 2-year-old daughter.—
Essence,
Essence,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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What Lies Ahead There is a rapidly closing window to ensure gender parity in leadership as the AI revolution plows forward.—
Cynthia Pong,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Yes, Carr’s threat likely violates the First Amendment, legal scholars say, but that only matters if Disney is willing to go to court.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Sep. 2025
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TikTok sued, arguing that a ban violates users' free speech rights, but the law was upheld in early January by the Supreme Court.—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Nvidia's Pragmatic Expansion For Nvidia, this partnership solves a different problem entirely.—
Tim Bajarin,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Tune in for short episodes every Wednesday and Saturday as Grumpy answers reader questions, solves seasonal conundrums, and provides need-to-know advice for gardeners with his very Grumpy sense of humor.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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