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

The would-be victim followed the suspect after their confrontation initially broke off, at which point the suspect allegedly turned and stabbed at the victim. —Greg Norman , Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 18 Dec. 2025

The Aggies broke off to make Texas their Thanksgiving weekend rival in 2024, and LSU finished up the year against Oklahoma the last two seasons. —Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 13 Dec. 2025

Each cutting should have 2 to 5 leaf segments and be clipped off with clean shears or scissors or gently broken off with your fingers between two leaf segments. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Dec. 2025

The centerman found an open Geekie in the slot and his shot broke off Jordan Binnington’s arm and in for Geekie’s 21st of the year. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025

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