breakaway

1 of 3

noun

break·​away ˈbrā-kə-ˌwā How to pronounce breakaway (audio)
1
a
: one that breaks away
b
: a departure from or rejection of something (such as a group or tradition)
2
a
: a play (as in hockey) in which an offensive player breaks free of the defenders and rushes toward the goal
b
: a sudden acceleration by one or more bicyclists pulling away from the pack in a race
3
: an object made to shatter or collapse under pressure or impact

breakaway

2 of 3

adjective

1
: favoring independence from an affiliation : seceding
a breakaway faction formed a new party
2
: made to break, shatter, or bend easily
breakaway road signs for highway safety
3
a
: of, relating to, or resulting from a breakaway
a breakaway goal
b
: allowing or having an ability to execute a breakaway
breakaway speed

break away

3 of 3

verb

broke away; broken away; breaking away; breaks away

intransitive verb

1
: to detach oneself especially from a group : get away
2
: to depart from former or accustomed ways
3
: to pull away with a burst of speed

Examples of breakaway in a Sentence

Adjective A breakaway faction formed a new party.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Alabama broke Arkansas' press before the Razorbacks could foul and freshman forward Mark Walters scored on a breakaway dunk with three seconds left to clinch the game. Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 10 Mar. 2024 The Kings extended the lead to 17 on a three-point play by Barnes and went up by 20 on a breakaway dunk by Fox. Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024 It’s fueled by two breakaway performances, one from Modine, the other from Jahking Guillory, as a most contrarian rider. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 He’s also had two of KU’s most spectacular dunks of the season — one on a breakaway in a victory at Oklahoma State and the other off a lob from Harris in a win at home against Texas. Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 Another set of people, two of them brothers who, according to a story in the Chicago Sun-Times, had in the past delivered pizzas for a Chicago restaurant called Mama Luna’s, formed a breakaway group called the Guerreros Unidos. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 In the 34th minute, an apparent breakaway goal by Anders was negated by an obvious offside penalty. Jim Lindgren, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 An article on Thursday about a breakaway territory in Moldova asking Russia for protection from Moldova referred imprecisely to the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Sorokin stopped Brandon Tanev on a short-handed breakaway moments before Palmieri tied the game. Scott Charles, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Meanwhile, Russia has signed a deal to house a permanent naval base in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, also on the Black Sea, its leader told local media Thursday. Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 6 Oct. 2023 The Alcaraz hype train has been so breakaway NBA stars Luka Doncic and Jimmy Butler showed up to watch the Spanish star from the teal seats. Marc Berman, ajc, 1 Apr. 2023 Russia is viewed as an enemy by many Georgians, after Moscow backed separatists in the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the 1990s. Reuters, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2023 Jerome Kersey followed with a breakaway dunk with 1:17 left and the game was tied at 97-97. oregonlive, 28 Apr. 2020 His breakaway power dunks were a highlight of a season that was short on those. Scott Ostler, SFChronicle.com, 19 Mar. 2020 Johnson opened the second frame with a steal and a breakaway dunk, electrifying a drowsy crowd that had witnessed only six combined points through the first eight minutes. Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati.com, 8 Mar. 2020 Not giving the Chargers a breather, Fern Creek star point guard Jaden Rogers got a steal and a chance for a breakaway dunk. David J. Kim, The Courier-Journal, 29 Feb. 2020 Watchmen’s fantastic seventh episode indulges a breakaway gimmick with its own Garden of Eden imagery. Darren Franich, EW.com, 11 May 2020
Verb
That’s when the Super Heavy rocket booster — the bottommost portion of the rocket that gives the initial burst of power at liftoff — breaks away from the upper Starship spacecraft, allowing the vehicle to ignite its engines and continue the mission on its own power. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says the lion that died was a young male, one believed to have been breaking away from his parents and headed out on its own. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024 Show discipline when temptation kicks in, and don’t be afraid to break away from the crowd and do your own thing. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024 The United Arab Emirates — of which Dubai is a part — started to break away from a decades-old economic model that prevails across the oil-rich region, linking residency to employment. Zainab Fattah, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2024 O'Keeffe, who had qualified for the Trials with a half marathon time, blazed ahead of more experienced women in the field, breaking away around mile 19 to finish in 2:22:10, a Trials record. Julie Mazziotta, Peoplemag, 3 Feb. 2024 The territory, largely Russian-speaking, broke away from Moldova and, after a brief war in 1992, set up its own national government. Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Joseph Ladapo’s guidance breaks away from federal quarantine recommendations and has led to criticism by other public health experts and politicians, with Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose district covers much of southern Broward County, on Tuesday calling for his resignation. Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024 This represents a significant technological advancement that allows businesses to break away from conventional decision-making routes, introducing a new era of accuracy and foresight. Sanjay Bhatia, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'breakaway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of breakaway was in 1535

Dictionary Entries Near breakaway

Cite this Entry

“Breakaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakaway. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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