Synonyms of break
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as in to disrupt 
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as in to stop
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as in to reduce
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as in to decipher
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as in to pause
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as in to plow
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as in to violate
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as in to solve
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as in to damage
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as in to die
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as in to retreat
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as in to wear
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as in to circulate
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as in to ruin
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as in to begin
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as in to veer
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as in to depress
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as in to exceed
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as in to surface
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as in pause
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as in vacation
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as in gap
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as in opportunity
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as in accident
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as in escape
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Example Sentences
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Phrases Containing
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1
as in to disrupt
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
hated telling her that I had broken her favorite glass vase
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2
as in to stop
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
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3
as in to reduce
to bring to a lower grade or rank
the captain was broken to lieutenant commander for disobeying a direct order from his group commander
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4
as in to decipher
to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language
Alan Turing and the Bletchley Park mathematicians broke the Enigma code being used by the Nazis
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5
as in to pause
to come to a temporary halt in one's activity
she broke from her ruminations to find that it was already dinnertime
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6
7
as in to violate
to fail to keep
had to confess that he had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone
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8
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning
Professor Bates broke the problem when she realized that it was possible to synthesize the necessary compounds
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9
as in to damage
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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10
as in to die
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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11
as in to retreat
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the herd of gazelles broke when they saw the lions racing toward them from the ridge above
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12
as in to wear
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
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13
as in to circulate
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
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as in to begin
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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16
as in to veer
to depart abruptly from a straight line or course
the running back broke to his left before running out of bounds
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17
as in to depress
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
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18
as in to exceed
to go beyond the limit of
a menu with prices that is likely to break the budgets of all but the wealthiest of diners
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1
as in pause
a momentary halt in an activity
there was a brief break after the first movement as the doors to the concert hall were opened and the latecomers were allowed in
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2
as in vacation
a period during which the usual routine of school or work is suspended
most of the students at the boarding school are going home for Christmas break
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3
as in gap
an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge)
the rancher repaired the break in the fence where the horse had gotten through
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4
5
as in accident
an unexpected benefit or advantage resulting from the uncertain course of events
a guy who just seems to get all the breaks in life
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6
as in escape
the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement
a desperate break from that hellhole
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break
Danielle Bacher, People.com, 16 May 2025
But Sentry breaks free from her control and then, fueled by Bob's repressed emotions, transforms into a shadowy figure called The Void, putting New York City and our heroes in dire straits.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 May 2025
Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
Returning from the break, Granite Hills took control, outscoring Saints 4-1 in the third quarter.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
—Danielle Bacher, People.com, 16 May 2025
But Sentry breaks free from her control and then, fueled by Bob's repressed emotions, transforms into a shadowy figure called The Void, putting New York City and our heroes in dire straits.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 May 2025
Noun
Snag a stay here for an epic Paris stay or visit the garden for an afternoon break from it all.
L’Aventure
4 Av.
—Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
Returning from the break, Granite Hills took control, outscoring Saints 4-1 in the third quarter.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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Body temperatures reaching 104 degrees Fahrenheit can cause heatstroke, a condition that disrupts biological processes throughout the body.—
Sanket Jain,
Smithsonian Magazine,
16 May 2025
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Light pollution disrupts animal behavior, interrupts plant cycles, and affects human health.—
Valerie Stimac,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Verb
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One day, a man named Harold McPherson stopped to answer her, and not long after, the two married.—
Dorothy Fortenberry,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2025
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Angelo must stop whoever’s coming for his family by searching his past hits for clues, and the list is very long.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
12 May 2025
Verb
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An estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with health care by at least 7.6 million from the Medicaid changes, and possibly more with other changes to the Affordable Care Act.—
Kevin Freking,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2025
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Another question has to do with the probiotics themselves: Can all probiotic supplements reduce negative feelings, or is there something specific about these nine bacteria included in the study?—
Simon Spichak,
Health,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Instead of administrators spending countless hours deciphering page after page of information and increasing risk of errors being made, AI agents are powering document capture for a better, more efficient way to work.—
Navaneeth Nair,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
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In early May, the Vesuvius Challenge announced that contestants Marcel Roth and Micha Nowak, computer scientists at Germany’s University of Würzburg, would receive $60,000 for deciphering the title.—
Ellen Wexler,
Smithsonian Magazine,
16 May 2025
Verb
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The common element is that a single federal judge in one of 94 regional districts paused a policy for the entire country while the case is being litigated.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
18 May 2025
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Getty Images The Trump administration’s trade truce with China that paused the steepest tariffs on Chinese goods isn’t offering much of a reprieve to many importers.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Investigators arriving at a bizarre scene where a car plowed through a house found a 19-year-old driver with a gunshot wound to the chest and a bicyclist dead under the car, Florida authorities said.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2025
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Meanwhile, a lower mass object, likely a star, is orbiting very close to the black hole and periodically plows through the accretion disk.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
9 May 2025
Verb
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Penalties for violating the new rule can exceed $50,000.—
Monica Pitrelli,Bella Stoddart,
CNBC,
12 May 2025
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That was when the makers, Epic Games, included a direct payment option into the app, which violated Apple’s rules.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Verb
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Instead, Kit and Sam use their knowledge of the animal kingdom to solve problems in different animal communities.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
20 May 2025
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Already, the technology has shown its capacity to solve complex problems, optimize processes and inform enhanced decision-making.—
Chris Brown,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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