Synonyms of break
-
as in to disrupt
-
as in to stop
-
as in to reduce
-
as in to decipher
-
as in to pause
-
as in to plow
-
as in to violate
-
as in to solve
-
as in to damage
-
as in to die
-
as in to retreat
-
as in to wear
-
as in to circulate
-
as in to ruin
-
as in to begin
-
as in to veer
-
as in to depress
-
as in to exceed
-
as in to surface
-
as in pause
-
as in vacation
-
as in gap
-
as in opportunity
-
as in accident
-
as in escape
-
Example Sentences
-
Phrases Containing
-
Entries Near
-
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
9
as in to damage
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in to die
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
13
as in to circulate
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
14
15
as in to begin
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
17
as in to depress
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
Growing Goodland Provident broke ground on the Goodland development in 2018 and delivered its first lots to builders in 2020.
—Neal Franklin, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
Above $190 and Nvidia is going to attempt a range break yet again that should target the mid-$200s.
—Todd Gordon, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Huffman was on a Teams call in his home office around 2-ish this past Friday afternoon when news of the Kadri trade broke.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
Growing Goodland Provident broke ground on the Goodland development in 2018 and delivered its first lots to builders in 2020.
—Neal Franklin, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
Noun
Hamilton made all six of his first-half shots and scored 18 to guide Eastern Washington to a 46-32 lead at the break.
—ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
Above $190 and Nvidia is going to attempt a range break yet again that should target the mid-$200s.
—Todd Gordon, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
-
Still, the broader bond rout reflects anxiety about the global economy after crude oil surged toward $120 a barrel, up almost 80% since the Iran war began and disrupted shipments from the Middle East.—
Marcus Wong,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Beijing may need to look elsewhere for supply if Iran’s exports are disrupted, another factor that could increase energy prices.—
Alex Veiga,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kuemper stopped 21 shots for the Kings, who entered the night one point out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Rather than stopping disagreements from happening, this aspect is about repairing any damage left behind.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The thinking, according to airport officials, is to encourage riders to use the yet-to-open Automated People Mover, also known as Skylink, and to reduce vehicle traffic around the terminals.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
From the guest's POV, drinking water is provided in reusable glass bottles, with water refilling stations across the property, and restaurant ingredients are sourced from the nearby partner South Farm and local suppliers to reduce the carbon footprint and support the community.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
No one had written them down, and the band had to listen to the few tapes that existed and try to decipher his words.—
Mark Richardson,
Pitchfork,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Looking through the official tiebreaker rules, the American-Statesman has attempted to decipher the reasoning behind Texas State's seeding.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If a settlement agreement is reached, that could pause a trial that started in New York last week and is slated to continue for several more weeks.—
Josh Sisco,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
True to the spirit of those Russian women, the world pauses on this day to celebrate the achievements of women.—
Kamala Thiagarajan,
NPR,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The firestorm plowed through the Pacific Palisades and into Malibu, burning 23,400 acres and leveling more than 6,800 structures, including many homes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The biggest spenders — Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta — are projected to plow $618 billion combined into capital expenditures in 2026, up from $376 billion in 2025.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In February, for instance, the Department of Justice joined a lawsuit brought by the 1776 Project Foundation, alleging that the Los Angeles Unified School District had violated the law by conditioning funding on the basis of student race.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Indiana has been at the center of the tanking discussion in the NBA after being fined $100,000 for violating the league’s player participation policy.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The invention also solves another issue.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Irreverent and misguided, his genius and famous name weigh heavily on him, but using his gift to help solve homicides may — finally — offer his life some direction and purpose.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
