Synonyms of break
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as in to disrupt
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as in to stop
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as in to reduce
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as in to decipher
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as in to pause
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as in to plow
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as in to violate
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as in to solve
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as in to damage
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as in to die
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as in to retreat
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as in to wear
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as in to circulate
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as in to ruin
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as in to begin
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as in to veer
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as in to depress
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as in to exceed
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as in to surface
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as in pause
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as in vacation
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as in gap
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as in opportunity
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as in accident
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as in escape
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Example Sentences
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Phrases Containing
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1
as in to disrupt
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 to stop
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
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3
as in to reduce
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 to decipher
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 to pause
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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as in to violate
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 to solve
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 to damage
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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10
as in to die
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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11
as in to retreat
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 to wear
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
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13
as in to circulate
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
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as in to begin
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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16
as in to veer
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 to depress
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
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18
as in to exceed
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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1
as in pause
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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2
as in vacation
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 gap
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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5
as in accident
an unexpected benefit or advantage resulting from the uncertain course of events
a guy who just seems to get all the breaks in life
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as in escape
the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement
a desperate break from that hellhole
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of break
Ben Noll,
Washington Post,
3 July 2026
When the Founders broke from the most powerful empire in the world, success was far from certain.
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Keith Krach,
Fortune,
3 July 2026
Jon MacHota,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
More often, momentum breaks when credibility, engagement and follow-through stop reinforcing one another.
—
David Steifman,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
From the Midwest to the East Coast, high temperature records have been broken or tied across 21 states since Wednesday, and the peak of the heat is still to come for the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
—
Ben Noll,
Washington Post,
3 July 2026
When the Founders broke from the most powerful empire in the world, success was far from certain.
—
Keith Krach,
Fortune,
3 July 2026
Noun
Prescott plans on getting teammates together during the break before training camp, as he’s done in previous offseasons.
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Jon MacHota,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
More often, momentum breaks when credibility, engagement and follow-through stop reinforcing one another.
—
David Steifman,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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Even tiny electromagnetic disturbances can disrupt the quantum states that perform calculations, reducing the accuracy and reliability of the system.
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The decision severely hampered local planning for America’s 250th anniversary, disrupting history projects, museums and educational programs nationwide.
Verb
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When there was a pause in the action, referee Raphael Claus stopped the match to look at VAR to determine whether Balogun committed a foul worthy of a red card.
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Making new friends isn’t something that has to stop at a certain point in your life.
Verb
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New flyover ramps connecting to I-95 would also be built, while sound barriers would be installed along both sides of the corridor to help reduce traffic noise for nearby residents.
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The rich treatment balances strengthening plant proteins with nourishing rosehip and sweet almond oils to reduce breakage and replenish moisture.
Verb
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In 2023, the Vesuvius Challenge made its first award for deciphering the first letters, and the following year, the project awarded the grand prize of $700,000 for producing the first readable text.
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On Thursday, the University of Kentucky announced a new $1 million prize to anyone able to decipher a complete scroll, a feat the researchers once considered impossible, by June next year.
Verb
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Bachaud says those promises made without hard data to back them up give her reason to pause.
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The move prompted several lawsuits, and a federal judge last week paused the implementation of the lower limits while the cases work their way through the court system.
Verb
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In other words, someone or some entity would have to plow through the seemingly countless variables catalogued in the report and decide which would be included and which would be excluded.
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Roads are not plowed, so owners and guests reach the property by snow cat or sled from the gate.
Verb
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Judge Sullivan concluded in his June 25 decision to order Blanche to release more information or explain himself that Blanche had likely violated the transparency law.
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Guests were reportedly required to sign nondisclosure agreements before receiving any event details (although the NDAs were said not to have included any penalties for violating the terms).
Verb
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Reopening the strait – which was fully open before the war – won’t immediately solve either of those problems.
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And even that reduction won’t be enough to solve the problem for the long term.
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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