Synonyms of break

break 1 of 2

verb

ˈbrāk 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disrupt
• fracture
• fragment
• disintegrate
• destroy
• reduce
• shatter
• split
• ruin
• smash
• dismember
• break up
• rive
• bust
• burst
• blast
• powder
• crack
• explode
• pop
• crush
• wreck
• pulverize
• grind
• detonate
• chip
• blow up
• shiver
• atomize
• splinter
• implode
• sliver

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fix
• repair
• rebuild
• patch
• heal
• reconstruct
• mend
• renovate
• recondition
• doctor

2

as in to stop

to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end

the final vote broke the deadlock

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stop
• halt
• cease
• end
• quit
• delay
• suspend
• drop
• shut off
• cut off
• can
• lay off
• finish
• discontinue
• conclude
• cut out
• leave off
• break off
• break up
• desist (from)
• check
• pack (up or in)
• give over
• have done with
• knock off
• complete
• pause
• block
• ruin
• put the kibosh on
• stay
• close (down)
• hinder
• impede
• hold
• stem
• destroy
• obstruct
• hold back
• suppress
• brake
• dam
• detain
• dissolve
• deactivate
• abort
• blockade
• scuttle
• squelch
• turn back
• kill
• abolish
• arrest
• stunt
• stamp
• call
• rein (in)
• clamp down
• demolish
• squash
• snuff
• annul
• stanch
• kibosh

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continue
• carry on
• run on
• keep up
• proceed
• advance
• progress
• drive
• stir
• follow through (with)
• propel
• actuate
• impel

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reduce
• demote
• degrade
• downgrade
• sack
• dismiss
• can
• lay off
• bust
• disrate
• downsize
• fire
• humiliate
• humble
• debase
• demean
• abase
• cashier
• lower

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• raise
• promote
• advance
• elevate
• hire

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decipher
• crack
• decrypt
• solve
• decode
• translate
• render
• unravel
• figure out
• unscramble
• work
• work out
• puzzle (out)
• descramble
• dope (out)
• unriddle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• code
• encode
• cipher
• encrypt
• mix (up)
• encipher
• jumble (up)
• garble

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pause
• hesitate
• stop
• interrupt
• hold one's horses
• catch one's breath
• finish
• break in
• end
• cease
• lay off
• terminate
• discontinue
• lapse
• let up
• quit
• knock off

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continue
• persist
• advance
• extend
• stretch
• progress
• prolong

6

as in to plow

to cut into and turn over the sod of (a piece of land) using a bladed implement

farmers once broke fields with horse-drawn plows

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plow
• rake
• till
• cultivate
• furrow
• fallow
• hoe
• harrow
• list
• rototill

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violate
• breach
• fracture
• transgress
• contravene
• infringe (on or upon)
• offend
• ignore
• disobey
• resist
• rebel
• pass over
• traduce
• disregard
• blow off
• withstand
• slight
• flout
• tune out
• neglect
• dismiss
• brush (off)
• defy
• wink (at)
• shrug off
• scorn
• overlook
• pooh-pooh
• overpass

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• follow
• observe
• obey
• comply (with)
• serve
• conform (to)
• mind
• submit (to)
• hear
• yield (to)
• watch
• attend
• notice
• listen (to)
• note
• mark
• surrender (to)
• regard
• defer (to)
• heed

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• solve
• unravel
• answer
• resolve
• figure out
• crack
• work
• work out
• decipher
• puzzle (out)
• decide
• dope (out)
• conclude
• deduce
• riddle (out)
• infer
• reason
• unriddle
• straighten (out)
• gather
• guess
• judge
• clear (up)
• speculate
• divine
• presume
• iron out
• untie
• assume
• unscramble
• untangle
• decode
• conjecture

9

as in to damage

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of

I broke a tooth on the hard candy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• damage
• injure
• mar
• compromise
• hurt
• weaken
• cripple
• erode
• spoil
• impair
• bloody
• harm
• cross (up)
• destroy
• flaw
• undermine
• disfigure
• ruin
• deface
• shatter
• vitiate
• blemish
• crab
• deteriorate
• wound
• endamage
• wear (away)
• batter
• tarnish
• scour
• smash
• demolish
• dent
• wreck
• enfeeble
• wash out
• wipe out
• ding
• blight
• torture
• botch
• mutilate
• gum (up)
• disable
• torment
• maim
• enervate
• lacerate
• devastate
• decimate
• tear down
• pulverize
• hamstring
• waste
• dint
• mangle
• annihilate
• clobber
• desolate
• crush
• lame
• total
• raze
• queer
• bash
• scourge
• bang up
• dash
• do in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• repair
• rebuild
• fix
• help
• patch
• reconstruct
• mend
• renovate
• heal
• revamp
• cure
• remedy
• rectify
• rehabilitate
• revise
• improve
• recondition
• better
• doctor
• perfect
• edit
• enhance
• remodel
• enrich
• refine
• ameliorate
• meliorate

10

as in to die

to stop functioning

after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• die
• fail
• crash
• stall
• cut out
• give out
• break down
• sputter
• fizzle
• conk (out)
• jam
• wheeze
• act up
• malfunction

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• start (up)

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• retreat
• flee
• fly
• escape
• run
• bolt
• run away
• run off
• beat a retreat
• beat it
• hightail (it)
• bug out
• turn tail
• skedaddle
• make tracks
• get out
• get (away)
• skip (out)
• clear out
• scram
• abscond
• make off
• decamp
• light out
• elope
• scat
• lam
• scarper
• skirr
• mizzle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confront
• dare
• face
• defy
• beard
• stay
• remain
• brave
• dwell
• linger
• abide
• hang around
• stick around
• tarry

12

as in to wear

to use up all the physical energy of

the trek up the mountain just about broke me

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wear
• kill
• exhaust
• tire
• drain
• weary
• wear out
• harass
• burn out
• bust
• knock out
• fatigue
• wash out
• waste
• tucker (out)
• fag
• weaken
• outwear
• wear to a frazzle
• debilitate
• frazzle
• sap
• do in
• enfeeble
• enervate
• do up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strengthen
• activate
• energize
• rest
• relax
• rejuvenate
• unwind
• invigorate
• vitalize

13

as in to circulate

to become known

as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

• circulate
• spread
• get out
• out
• come out
• get round
• get around
• get about
• reveal
• leak (out)
• unfold
• tell
• develop
• disclose
• spill
• transpire

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suppress
• hide
• conceal
• disguise
• mask
• hush (up)
• secrete

14

as in to ruin

to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts

another bad investment could break him

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruin
• bankrupt
• reduce
• bust
• wipe out
• impoverish
• clean (out)
• pauperize
• beggar
• straiten

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enrich
• richen

15

as in to begin

to come into existence

the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking

Synonyms & Similar Words

• begin
• start
• originate
• commence
• arise
• be
• set in
• appear
• emerge
• form
• arrive
• spring
• live
• dawn
• exist
• last
• materialize
• engender
• breathe
• actualize
• continue
• survive
• come on
• subsist
• persist
• endure
• shape (up)
• coalesce
• cohere

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stop
• end
• cease
• finish
• conclude
• terminate
• halt
• quit
• disappear
• discontinue
• dissolve
• die
• vanish
• depart
• expire
• evaporate
• perish
• desist
• pass away

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• veer
• cut
• curve
• turn
• bow
• circle
• wander
• swerve
• sheer
• zag
• sweep
• zig
• yaw
• bend
• curl
• round
• weave
• arch
• skew
• arc
• loop
• pivot
• slew
• twist
• spiral
• hook
• deviate
• wheel
• wind
• crook
• coil
• stray
• zigzag
• waver
• about-face

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straighten

17

as in to depress

to diminish the price or value of

distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reduce
• depress
• write down
• attenuate
• sink
• devalue
• shrink
• write off
• lower
• devaluate
• downgrade
• mark down
• depreciate
• cheapen
• debase
• compress
• underestimate
• moderate
• demonetize
• downsize
• contract
• undervalue
• lessen
• abridge
• dwindle
• underrate
• deflate
• underprice
• de-escalate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enhance
• appreciate
• upgrade
• blow up
• mark up
• inflate
• add
• increase
• extend
• expand
• raise
• maximize
• boost
• swell
• augment
• multiply
• overestimate
• escalate
• enlarge
• amplify
• heighten
• bloat
• compound
• up
• dilate
• overrate
• overvalue
• aggrandize
• overprice
• balloon

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exceed
• surpass
• transcend
• outrun
• invade
• overstep
• overshoot
• outreach
• overrun
• overreach
• encroach
• trespass
• entrench
• infringe
• overdo
• overuse
• overpass
• overwork
• overutilize

19

as in to surface

to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below

dolphins were breaking all around the boat

Synonyms & Similar Words

• surface
• emerge
• rise
• broach

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• drop
• sink
• plunge
• dive
• drown
• founder
• submerge
• submerse

break

2 of 2

noun

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pause
• lull
• breath
• interruption
• rest
• breather
• recess
• interval
• time-out
• stopping
• finishing
• suspension
• interlude
• respite
• interim
• intermission
• stoppage
• downtime
• cessation
• discontinuance
• ending
• lapse
• hitch
• termination
• moratorium
• expiration
• hiatus
• abeyance
• gap
• discontinuity
• surcease

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• progress
• continuation
• endurance
• progression
• persistence
• extension
• prolongation

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vacation
• holiday
• leave
• recess
• hols
• rest
• sabbatical
• breather
• relaxation
• respite
• liberty
• furlough
• interim
• interval
• intermission
• legal holiday
• loafing
• feast
• idling
• slacking
• holy day
• lounging

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gap
• hole
• crack
• opening
• crevice
• breach
• interval
• rent
• rift
• hiatus
• void
• discontinuity
• fissure
• separation
• split
• slit
• gulf
• slot
• interstice
• fracture
• cleft
• notch
• cavity
• rupture
• pore
• aperture
• chasm
• cranny
• abyss
• orifice
• chink
• severance
• gape
• interspace
• sundering

4

as in opportunity

a favorable combination of circumstances, time, and place

in classic fashion, her big break came when, as an understudy, she took over for an ailing star

Synonyms & Similar Words

• opportunity
• chance
• room
• opening
• shot
• occasion
• way
• play
• pass
• juncture

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accident
• chance
• strike
• fluke
• luck
• stroke of luck
• hazard
• circumstance
• happenstance
• happenchance
• hap

6

as in escape

the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement

a desperate break from that hellhole

Synonyms & Similar Words

• escape
• flight
• getaway
• breakout
• rout
• slip
• rescue
• lam
• bunk
• liberation
• release
• salvation
• redemption
• close call
• jailbreak
• deliverance
• close shave
• near miss

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confinement
• imprisonment
• captivity
• incarceration
• holding
• hold
• retention
• custody
• risk
• detention
• trouble
• internment
• immurement
• hazard
• jeopardy
• peril
• imperilment
• endangerment

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of break

Verb

Golden Boot leader and NC Courage winger Ashley Sanchez needs one more goal to break Chawinga’s single-season record of 20 goals. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026

Many people are familiar with the performance-enhancing drugs used by athletes like Ben Johnson, Barry Bonds, and Lance Armstrong on their way to breaking records. — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026

Noun

That break doesn’t last long as next day Susie’s sister announces a last-minute Christmas wedding… and Susie convinces Alec to tag along. — Rachel Labonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026

When a developer says a property tax break is needed for a project to make sense, the debate usually centers on one big question. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Phrases Containing break

• break bread
• break down
• break free
• break in
• break off
• break off (with)
• break out
• break out (of)
• break the law
• break up