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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Entries Near
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Related Articles
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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Relevance
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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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14
15
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of break
Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Glimmers of light broke the fog.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 6 Apr. 2026
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
The show, which pointedly ends just before the 1993 allegations break, gave Jackson’s team confidence the public would be willing to embrace a sympathetic look at him.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
And a campaign pro is going to break the law by offering cash or groceries to a noncitizen for her vote?
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Glimmers of light broke the fog.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
His big break came 22 slogging years later at Florida Atlantic, a school with a great location and not much else.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
The show, which pointedly ends just before the 1993 allegations break, gave Jackson’s team confidence the public would be willing to embrace a sympathetic look at him.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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The vaccination campaign for measles was disrupted during Bangladesh's recent political upheavals.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
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For one project, Cohen tried to disrupt a protein associated with insulin resistance and diabetes.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Such comments did little to stop the speculation, despite his contract at Atletico running to 2030 and containing a €500million (£436m; $577m) release clause.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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Lee’s Summit school board election Voters will see seven names on their ballot for three spots on the Lee’s Summit school board, though one candidate, Christopher Thornton, did withdraw from the race after the deadline and stopped actively running.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Global oil supply has reduced by 13%, according to the IMF, while severe damage has been done to other critical supply chains.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2026
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But government hunting programs and other efforts to reduce their numbers as the human population grew led to the local extinction, or extirpation, of the animals from California more than a century ago.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The researchers then deciphered certain traits that were linked to the habit.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
8 Apr. 2026
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Kinsella was excited for Yates’ voice to be an easter egg—one of many voices to be deciphered by fans among a scream-singing chorus.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Defendants who are found to be mentally incompetent cannot be tried for crimes — rather, their criminal prosecutions are paused while defendants go through treatment aimed at restoring them to competency.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
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Some of the largest insurers, including State Farm and AllState, have even paused writing new home policies anywhere in California.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Michigan spent most of this season – and all of the NCAA tournament – absolutely plowing through their opponents.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
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At least 15 people were injured after a driver plowed a car into a crowd during a parade in Louisiana on Saturday, April 4, according to authorities and multiple reports.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Setrakian refused to say whether his work on Bonta’s defense might violate state corruption laws.—
Will Swaim,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
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But the implicit argument, that Colorado law effectively compels Jeffco to violate Title IX, is a major, predictable indictment of our legislature.—
Lisa Frizell,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For over 150 years, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has conducted scientific research and experiments to help farmers diagnose and solve problems with their plants and soil, invasive insects and more.—
Angela Eichhorst,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
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There are so many basic problems that publishers could solve without needing to work with a partner who has invented something entirely new, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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