break·away
ˈbrā-kə-ˌwā 
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
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
broke away; broken away; breaking away; breaks away
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
Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The breakaway region in the Caucasus Mountains was home to around 120,000 ethnic Armenians and while it is internationally considered as part of Azerbaijan, it was controlled by Armenian separatists since the fall of the Soviet Union.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Yevgeny Kuklychev
ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
In 2008, Russia and Georgia went to war over the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024
Elizabeth Yuko, Flow Space, 24 Sep. 2025
Tolu Coker broke away from the traditional runway format for her spring 2026 collection, staging a presentation that fused fashion, film and storytelling — with Naomi Campbell at the center.
—Hanna McNeila, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakaway
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Noun
Its breakaway region of Transnistria, which neighbors Odesa, is described by the European Council as being occupied by Russia, which has troops stationed there.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The breakaway region in the Caucasus Mountains was home to around 120,000 ethnic Armenians and while it is internationally considered as part of Azerbaijan, it was controlled by Armenian separatists since the fall of the Soviet Union.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Moscow has moved many of its vessels toward its Novorossiysk base, and satellite imagery indicates Russia is establishing another Black Sea base in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia.
—Yevgeny Kuklychev
ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
In 2008, Russia and Georgia went to war over the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024
Verb
In those cases, if someone goes into remission, disseminated cancer cells (DCCs)—which have broken away from a primary tumor and spread to distant organs—can remain dormant in the body for years or even decades before metastatic relapse.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Flow Space, 24 Sep. 2025
Tolu Coker broke away from the traditional runway format for her spring 2026 collection, staging a presentation that fused fashion, film and storytelling — with Naomi Campbell at the center.
—Hanna McNeila, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakaway
Cite this Entry
“Breakaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakaway. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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