breakaway

noun break·away \ ˈbrā-kə-ˌwā \

|Updated on: 22 Jun 2018

Examples: breakaway in a Sentence

Definition of breakaway

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

Recent Examples of breakaway from the Web

Four minutes from time, Gerard Pique brought down Ronaldo at the end of another Portugal breakaway.

— jonathan clegg, WSJ, "Cristiano Ronaldo Ensures Spain’s Grand World Cup Experiment Gets Off to Rocky Start," 15 June 2018
Shortly after Jakub Vrana scored the opening goal of Game 5 on a breakaway early in the second, Schmidt tied it when his fling toward the net deflected off a stick and again off Caps defenseman Matt Niskanen's skate.

— greg beacham, Houston Chronicle, "Capitals defeat Golden Knights to earn first Stanley Cup in franchise history," 7 June 2018
The former three-term assemblywoman has received the most support from outside money, campaign reports show, much of it from a breakaway labor group called the San Diego Working Families Council.

— jeff mcdonald, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Fletcher lashes out at Saldaña for alleged alliance with conservatives," 2 June 2018
Davis took a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute, when Kyle Crowley played the ball up to D’Alessandro on a breakaway.

— matt szabo, latimes.com, "Daily Pilot Cup: Davis edges College Park," 1 June 2018
Huffman, who placed 67th overall in the field of 112, was part of sustained breakaways in two stages, but mechanical problems curtailed his efforts in the Stage 3 finish at Laguna Seca.

— james raia, sacbee, "Colombians dominate Tour of California. Why it was a ‘tough week’ for area contenders | The Sacramento Bee," 19 May 2018
The Union got a huge break in the 68th, when Montreal’s Daniel Lovitz — a Wyndmoor native — was ejected for taking down Fafa Picault down on a breakaway.

— jonathan tannenwald, Philly.com, "Union's 2-0 win at Montreal ends 16-game road winless streak," 12 May 2018
The breakaway Government Hill residents aren’t giving up, said Denise Gutierrez Homer, one of the leading opponents.

— richard webner, San Antonio Express-News, "Local officials backing Government Hill leaders after attempted coup," 4 May 2018
Jakub Vrana scored on the power play later in the first period, and in contrast to Game 1, the Capitals made it 3-0 when Brett Connolly scored on a breakaway early in the second.

— the associated press, New York Times, "Capitals Hold On to Early Lead, Tying Series With the Penguins," 30 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breakaway.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of breakaway

1881

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

breakaway

adjective

Definition of breakaway

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

See breakaway defined for English-language learners

Examples of breakaway in a Sentence

A breakaway faction formed a new party.

Recent Examples of breakaway from the Web

Some of the countries represented by their leaders, such as Rwanda and Tajikistan, have never participated in the tournament, while two—South Ossetia and Abkhazia—are breakaway statelets recognized by few beyond Moscow.

— anatoly kurmanaev, WSJ, "World Cup Gives Putin’s Policies a Global Stage," 13 June 2018
New breakaway emergency exits were plentiful -- and more accessible -- at the largest daytime stage at Riverfront Park.

— tom roland, Billboard, "CMA Music Festival: Security (and Temps) Were Up, But the Sound Was Still Central," 12 June 2018
Shortly after, East Catholic had a few breakaway shots that resulted in Macy Wilcox scoring, followed by Weber on a penalty.

— joe burns, courant.com, "Class S Girls Lacrosse: East Catholic Beats Canton To Advance To Final," 5 June 2018
Miguel Almiron ignited several breakaway chances in the second half, as Atlanta continually threatened to extend the lead.

— frank dell’apa, BostonGlobe.com, "Revolution get late goal to tie Atlanta," 31 May 2018
Non-football Thing on my Mind The worst thing on television is a breakaway dunk in an NBA game, for one simple reason: broadcast directors, inexplicably, think fans want to see a low, behind-the-basket angle for a dunk.

— andy benoit, SI.com, "The State of the Tight End," 30 May 2018
Ante Rebić was the star of the show for Frankfurt as the Croatian notched two breakaway goals either side of Robert Lewandowski’s strike, with Mijat Gaćinović putting the icing on the cake with the last kick of the game.

— SI.com, "Frankfurt Upsets Bayern Munich to Win German Cup Final," 19 May 2018
His breakaway goal in the second period gave Lehigh Valley a 2-0 lead, and the Checkers seemed to lose steam after that.

— steve lyttle, charlotteobserver, "Phantoms didn’t need 5 overtimes this time, hand Checkers season-ending loss | Charlotte Observer," 12 May 2018
But Nikita Kucherov's would-be breakaway goal was waved off because Tampa Bay had too many men on the ice.

— fred goodall, chicagotribune.com, "Alexander Ovechkin's goal, assist lead Capitals to 4-2 win over Lightning in Eastern finals opener," 11 May 2018