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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Related Articles
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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7
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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15
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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6
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
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Recent Examples of break
Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 2 Mar. 2026
Hollywood has an unfortunate habit of making that promise to filmmakers and breaking it quietly over time.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2026
That project will allow advertisers to contextually search for moments or sentiments in scenes proximate to ad breaks.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Last spring Texas had a program-record 12 players drafted, which broke a one-year-old mark set in 2024 when UT sent 11 to the league.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 2 Mar. 2026
Hollywood has an unfortunate habit of making that promise to filmmakers and breaking it quietly over time.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
That means many families will be looking for things to do while on break.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2026
That project will allow advertisers to contextually search for moments or sentiments in scenes proximate to ad breaks.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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Just one week ago, a report hypothesizing on how AI could disrupt the economy sent the Dow tumbling by more than 800 points.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
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Maneuvering and hypersonic considerations Iran’s reported hypersonic designs, like the Fattah missile, focus less on speed and more on terminal maneuvering to disrupt tracking.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After Elmarko Jackson’s flagrant foul stopping a dunk in transition — the play was called a common foul but quickly upgraded to a flagrant-one — the Jayhawks and Sun Devils came together.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
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The administration has tried everything in its toolbox to stop it, based on not data or studies or anything much beyond rich-old-man pique.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Its hypergolic propellant allows the missile to remain fueled for extended periods, reducing launch prep to minutes.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
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For inmates already on a hormone-replacement regimen, BOP will consider placing them on a taper plan that gradually reduces their dosage at a safe withdrawal pace.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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No one had written them down, and the band had to listen to the few tapes that existed and try to decipher his words.—
Mark Richardson,
Pitchfork,
28 Feb. 2026
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Looking through the official tiebreaker rules, the American-Statesman has attempted to decipher the reasoning behind Texas State's seeding.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Palestinians in the occupied West Bank said they were largely unfazed as war erupted Saturday, barely pausing as booms echoed across the sky from Israel's Iron Dome intercepting missiles overhead.—
CLAUDIA CIOBANU,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
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And with whiskey supply in particular currently exceeding demand, some venerable distilleries are pausing production.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Blackstone did so in part by allowing the firm's own investors to plow $150 million into the fund.—
Hugh Son,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
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Police and fire may respond to calls even before snow plows clear city and town streets.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Even after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect in 2024, the Israeli military has been striking Lebanon on a near-daily basis, accusing Hezbollah of violating the agreement by rearming and rebuilding its forces.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
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Improper disclosure may violate privacy expectations and potentially expose the association to liability.—
Peter S. Sachs,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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More recently, other options have come forth to solve the sell-buy conundrum.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
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So this is not a problem that can be solved strictly through military action, because military action can’t deal with those other two factors.—
Hanna Rosin,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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