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

While awaiting trial in a Riverside County jail, Morales stabbed another inmate so hard that the tip of the knife broke off in the victim’s body, according to the appellate decision. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026

Brown broke off a 32-yard run and suffered an apparent leg injury. — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026

Scatter one third of Fontina mixture evenly over sauce (mixture will be stiff; use hands to break off small pieces and scatter over sauce). — Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026

Stuart Broad and Michael Atherton are on the microphones, while statistician Benedict Bermange has just broken off explaining how his very swish touchscreen scoring tablet works. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 9 Sep. 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