break off

verb

broke off; broken off; breaking off; breaks off

intransitive verb

1

: to stop abruptly

break off in the middle of a sentence

2

: to become detached

branches that broke off in the storm

3

: to end a relationship

broke off with his business partner

transitive verb

1

: discontinue

break off diplomatic relations

2

: to remove by or as if by breaking

broke off a chunk of bread

Synonyms of break off

• stop
• cease
• end
• halt
• quit
• cut off
• lay off
• knock off
• shut off
• cut out

Examples of break off in a Sentence

the judge broke off court proceedings until after lunch

talks between the two sides broke off when one began making unreasonable demands

Recent Examples on the Web

Even attempts to remove it can make the situation worse, as fragments can break off and spread further. —ABC News, 12 May 2026

Will California eventually break off and fall into the ocean? —Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 11 May 2026

On a spacecraft, this could not only puncture windows but also lead to internal spallation, where fragments break off inside the cabin. —Alan Bradley, Space.com, 8 May 2026

The van was parked and unoccupied, and a key was broken off in the driver’s door lock, police said. —Cale Ahearn, Baltimore Sun, 6 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for break off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

break off

verb

: to stop suddenly