1
as in to stop
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the judge broke off court proceedings until after lunch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to end
to come to an end
talks between the two sides broke off when one began making unreasonable demands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of break off
This permitted pressure to build up and cracking to occur, causing some charred material to break off in several locations, NASA reported.
—
Leonard David, Space.com, 17 Feb. 2026
The women’s team’s ownership structure broke off from the men’s side two years ago — exactly how the split works is still unclear.
—Emily Olsen, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
On Saturday, one of those protests turned violent when about 100 hooded protesters broke off from a peaceful march and clashed with police, who responded by firing on them with tear gas and a water cannon.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The video sees Strelow attempt to reattach the medal before realizing — like Johnson — that the small clasp connecting the medal to the ribbon had broken off as well.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break off
Leonard David, Space.com, 17 Feb. 2026
The women’s team’s ownership structure broke off from the men’s side two years ago — exactly how the split works is still unclear.
—Emily Olsen, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
On Saturday, one of those protests turned violent when about 100 hooded protesters broke off from a peaceful march and clashed with police, who responded by firing on them with tear gas and a water cannon.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The video sees Strelow attempt to reattach the medal before realizing — like Johnson — that the small clasp connecting the medal to the ribbon had broken off as well.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break off
Verb
-
Venezuela - once Cuba's top supplier - effectively stopped sending shipments in mid-December.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The government also stopped collecting and reporting crucial survey findings on transgender students — data that have shown higher rates of depression, drug use, bullying and other problems.—
Mike Stobbe,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As soon as our interview ended, the seven idols disappeared to change outfits for an evening rehearsal, and returned minutes later, slurping down steaming cups of ramyeon.—
Rebecca Cairns,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
His night ended amid a storm of laughing students and obscene gestures.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Paramount Skydance has also sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, making similar accusations, Variety reported over the weekend.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Oil imports from Venezuela have ceased since Washington toppled its leader last month, cutting Cuba’s main source of energy.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot re-detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia because a 90-day detention period has expired and the government has no viable plan for deporting him, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.—
Travis Loller,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Clark led players through negotiations that led to an agreement in December 2016, about 3 1/2 hours before the prior deal was set to expire, and another in March 2022 after a 99-day lockout.—
Ronald Blum,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Stellantis cancelled its line of Jeep plug-in hybrids earlier this year, and companies including Nissan and Tesla have halted or ended some EV models entirely.—
Julian Torres,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Hospital officials halted care at the center's total 35 clinics in the state.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That concludes today’s Sports Report Olympic Edition newsletter.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Serafini, who wanted to testify in his trial but was advised not to, concluded his testimony Friday morning in the evidentiary hearing.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In one of the most improbable comebacks in the history of figure skating, Alysa Liu of the United States, who quit the sport after the 2022 Beijing Olympics, reclaimed her career on her own joyous terms and won the gold medal in the women’s competition on Thursday at the Milan-Cortina Games.—
Bora Erden,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
For those trips where winter refuses to quit, this cozy knit set is the answer.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Washington has upped pressure in a bid to replace Havana’s communist regime, cutting off oil shipments and, by extension, the economy.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
17 Feb. 2026
-
First responders cut off her camo shorts to care for her that day, and a photo of the shorts was shown in court.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20off. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
