break off

verb

broke off; broken off; breaking off; breaks off

intransitive verb

1

: to stop abruptly

break off in the middle of a sentence

2

: to become detached

branches that broke off in the storm

3

: to end a relationship

broke off with his business partner

transitive verb

1

: discontinue

break off diplomatic relations

2

: to remove by or as if by breaking

broke off a chunk of bread

Synonyms

• break
• break up
• can [slang]
• cease
• cut off
• cut out
• desist (from)
• discontinue
• drop
• end
• give over
• halt
• knock off
• lay off
• leave off
• pack (up or in)
• quit
• shut off
• stop

Examples of break off in a Sentence

the judge broke off court proceedings until after lunch

talks between the two sides broke off when one began making unreasonable demands

Recent Examples on the Web

After questioning his maturity for most of their time together, Hannah Jiles broke off her tumultuous relationship with Nick Dorka weeks before walking down the aisle. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

An Italian woman surfing an island break off the west coast of Sumatra died in a freak accident when a swordfish impaled her, according to reports. —Greg Wehner, Fox News, 22 Oct. 2024

But the Cubs broke off to form the Marquee Sports Network in 2020, and regional sports networks, long the cash cow of pay TV, have struggled financially in recent years as cord-cutting takes its toll on the cable bundle. —Chicago Tribune, 21 Oct. 2024

The jet stream usually pens the polar vortex in and keeps it there, but at times, some of the vortex can break off or move south, bringing extremely cold weather down into the U.S., Europe and Asia. —Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

break off

verb

: to stop suddenly