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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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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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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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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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
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 May 2026
Nick Castellanos, who broke his bat shortly before becoming the hero of Sunday’s 3-2 comeback win, has hit more home runs with Tatis’ bat than Tatis himself.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Greta Cross, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
The seasoning level didn’t match that of the fish, offering a nice break from that briny punch.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Each gets stage time to speak at length about their dreams, both realized and broken, and regrets.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 May 2026
Nick Castellanos, who broke his bat shortly before becoming the hero of Sunday’s 3-2 comeback win, has hit more home runs with Tatis’ bat than Tatis himself.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Noun
An everyday work break quickly became a million-dollar core memory for a man visiting his regular convenience store.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
The seasoning level didn’t match that of the fish, offering a nice break from that briny punch.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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What’s next for I-77 South Carter-Adamson and Ivory were disappointed to hear that I-77 will once again disrupt lives around Charlotte.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 May 2026
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Canvas outage disrupted students during finals The timing made the outage especially frustrating.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Quin Snyder’s Towns wrinkle stalled the Knicks briefly, then stopped working.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
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The workers get ordered to start jobs, stop jobs, ignore jobs and are other things that turn them into ping pong balls, with the Butleys and the del Valles as the paddles.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Earlier that year, the Connecticut General Assembly passed a sweeping climate change bill with an ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2030, 70% by 2040, and to achieve economy-wide net-zero levels by 2050.—
Krisztian Elcsics,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
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Likewise, in building communities, there must be a priority on preserving green spaces, creating walkable neighborhoods to reduce traffic and car emissions, intentionally designating areas for wildlife habitats, and prioritizing quality of life through parks, trails, and conservation areas.—
Sammy Duda,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 May 2026
Verb
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In corporate news, luxury conglomerate and industry bellwether LVMH reported quarterly sales that missed expectations on Monday as the sector begins to decipher the fallout from the war in the Middle East and its impact on stocks.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
14 Apr. 2026
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The researchers then deciphered certain traits that were linked to the habit.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The fact that those dreary assessments have very little to do with the actual wants and needs of the vast majority of Californians — not to mention the state’s history of electing mostly dull and drab governors — should give their authors pause.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
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According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 14 states spanning the political spectrum from Oklahoma to New York are considering legislation that would ban or pause new data centers, as public opinion on AI has increasingly shifted to the negative.—
Kevin Williams,
CNBC,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Brin and a cohort of the ultrawealthy including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and venture capitalists Vinod Khosla and John Doerr have plowed millions into supporting Matt Mahan, a Silicon Valley mayor, with a back-to-basics agenda and a penchant for taking on the state’s Democratic establishment.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Rather than plowing down anyone, a tackle is when a player slides feet first to dislodge the ball from an opposing player.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In April, the group of 19 camps in Texas filed a lawsuit saying the requirement to install fiber optic internet does not make their properties safer, violates the state Constitution and laws regarding property rights, and could prevent them from opening.—
STEPHEN SIMPSON The Texas Tribune,
Arkansas Online,
10 May 2026
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Critics say the commission lacks religious and ideological diversity, violates federal law requiring balanced viewpoints, and threatens long-standing constitutional church-state protections.—
Peter Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Verb
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To solve the problem, the researchers used AI to generate variations in environmental conditions during robot training.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
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The Minnesota House of Representatives passed a bill Monday that includes $1 million in funding to solve nonfatal shootings.—
Mara H. Gottfried,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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