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
Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
Seconds later, Korpisalo denied Bedard on a breakaway.
—Scott Powers, New York Times, 10 Oct. 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
Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
SpaceX teases a return to eye-catching booster landings After using most of its fuel and propelling Starship toward space, the Super Heavy on Monday safely broke away from the upper Starship spacecraft and veered back toward Earth.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakaway
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Noun
Sanders came away with a steal and fired an assist to a streaking Yanic Konan Niederhauser for a breakaway dunk.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
Seconds later, Korpisalo denied Bedard on a breakaway.
—Scott Powers, New York Times, 10 Oct. 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
The shift in monetization also means that many creators have to break away from old strategies of posting longer videos that allow for more ad breaks to focus on shorter videos that hold users’ attention.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
SpaceX teases a return to eye-catching booster landings After using most of its fuel and propelling Starship toward space, the Super Heavy on Monday safely broke away from the upper Starship spacecraft and veered back toward Earth.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 2025.
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