break (with) precedent

phrase

somewhat formal

: to do something that has not been done before

The voters broke (with) precedent when they elected a woman to the position.

Examples of break (with) precedent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the party opposite of the president has won every governor’s race since 1989, except for the race four years ago, which Ciattarelli nearly won, so a Ciattarelli win would also break precedent. — Jared Gans, The Hill, 4 Nov. 2025

Texas lawmakers have attempted to break precedent and redistrict outside of the post-census cycle — which has stalled as the state’s Democrats broke quorum and fled Texas. — Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2025

There was little reason to think Emmy voters would break with precedent and vote for Colbert. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2025

Will the break precedent and overturn rule of law to appease him? — The Hill Staff, The Hill, 5 June 2025

Yet, ballots were cast even during the Civil War and WWII so the MAGA crowd would have to pull a pretty big rabbit, like the Insurrection Act, out of the hat to break precedent and award Trump a third term. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2025

Trump and Musk have already forged close ties with figures whose politics at least partially overlap, like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, an immigration hardliner who attended the inauguration in a break with precedent. — Rob Picheta, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025