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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Relevance
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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of break
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Of course, Hole himself isn’t averse to breaking bad, either.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Some studies suggest people may seek out social media to dissociate—mindlessly scrolling purely to give their brain a break.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Gastineau accused Favre of taking a dive during a game in 2001 so that New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan could sack him and break Gastineau’s single-season record.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Of course, Hole himself isn’t averse to breaking bad, either.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
The suit, still pending, alleges the company forced 2,000 workers to labor under conditions reminiscent of the 1950s, including 13-hour workdays without a break, no toilets in the fields and no water.
—Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Some studies suggest people may seek out social media to dissociate—mindlessly scrolling purely to give their brain a break.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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Almanac installed the unit without building a new facility or disrupting production.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
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With the conflict having disrupted much of the world's oil supplies, markets remain highly sensitive to any headline suggesting either escalation or diplomacy.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Her 15-year-old son can be heard in the background pleading with his mom and the officer to stop.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2026
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Mason McTavish and Troy Terry also scored for the Ducks, while John Carlson had three assists and Lukas Dostal stopped 27 shots.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned environments.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
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Gold has been one of the better-performing assets over the past year, and when markets get choppy, leveraged funds and institutional investors tend to reduce exposure.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Before diners are even seated, a quirky focal point is bound to elicit oohs and aahs, and many, many wandering eyes trying to decipher the meaning.—
Zareen Syed,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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Binary neutron stars have long been considered the best bet for deciphering what lurks within.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If a belief is challenged, pause and ask a sincere question to find shared facts that build bridges rather than point fingers.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
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That arrangement seems to have been paused — superseded by the needs of the Gulf conflict.—
Obi Anyadike,
semafor.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Denver has plowed money into its offensive and defensive lines and extended 10 players over the past 18 months, but perhaps no group has received more extensive and consistent investment than the receivers.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
18 Mar. 2026
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Aside from billionaire hedge fund founder and environmental activist Tom Steyer, who registered at 10% support after plowing tens of millions of dollars into his campaign, no other Democrat had won support from more than 5% of likely voters, the poll showed.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Democrats in Congress have also sought to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, accusing her of directing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to violate the public's constitutional rights in its enforcement actions.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
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DraftKings might also argue that a temporary restraining order is unwarranted since if the company has violated the NCAA’s marks, a court could later empirically assess damages and issue monetary damages.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Did the young Kay solve her cases badly all those years ago?—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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Huang is optimistic about the power of AI, and believes agents are a critical building block on the road to solving some of humanity’s most complex questions.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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