clean break
noun
: complete separation from something
When he left home, he made a clean break with the past.
Examples of clean break in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
William would prefer a swift, clean break with Prince Andrew before things decline further.
—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025
But whatever is happening inside Chris’s head, the rest of the world doesn’t want to give him a clean break.
—Scott Meslow, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Ending Xi’s leverage will require a full, clean break between TikTok and ByteDance, severing partnerships between the app and its former parent.
—Emily Baker-White, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Heading into the final season of a five-year, $100 million deal, there could be mutual interest in a clean break.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Patrick Fuchs, the 37-year-old chairman of obscure and quaintly named Surface Transportation Board, has signalled what colleagues and industry players are interpreting as an openness to consolidation, or at least a clean break from the reflexive antipathy of his predecessor to deals.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 19 June 2025
Of course, there is the classic chef's one-handed egg-cracking technique—immortalized in the 1954 romantic comedy, Sabrina—which involves holding the egg between the fingers and thumb and rapping the edge sharply against the rim of the bowl to achieve a clean break.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2025
From Gary Gensler to Paul Atkins: A clean break at the SEC
Under Biden, then-SEC Chairman Gary Gensler led a broad enforcement campaign against the digital asset industry.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 24 May 2025
Trump also reversed former President Biden’s 2022 crypto directive, marking a clean break for the crypto industry under the new administration.
—Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 29 Apr. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025
But whatever is happening inside Chris’s head, the rest of the world doesn’t want to give him a clean break.
—Scott Meslow, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Ending Xi’s leverage will require a full, clean break between TikTok and ByteDance, severing partnerships between the app and its former parent.
—Emily Baker-White, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Heading into the final season of a five-year, $100 million deal, there could be mutual interest in a clean break.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Patrick Fuchs, the 37-year-old chairman of obscure and quaintly named Surface Transportation Board, has signalled what colleagues and industry players are interpreting as an openness to consolidation, or at least a clean break from the reflexive antipathy of his predecessor to deals.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 19 June 2025
Of course, there is the classic chef's one-handed egg-cracking technique—immortalized in the 1954 romantic comedy, Sabrina—which involves holding the egg between the fingers and thumb and rapping the edge sharply against the rim of the bowl to achieve a clean break.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2025
From Gary Gensler to Paul Atkins: A clean break at the SEC
Under Biden, then-SEC Chairman Gary Gensler led a broad enforcement campaign against the digital asset industry.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 24 May 2025
Trump also reversed former President Biden’s 2022 crypto directive, marking a clean break for the crypto industry under the new administration.
—Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clean break.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clean%20break. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share