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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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
Will Porter, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2025
But an injury put an end to that impressive string of games, as Jovic broke his right hand on Feb. 23 and missed the final 27 games of last regular season.
—Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 14 July 2025
Ninety-eight games are enough to get a sense of where the A’s stand heading into the All-Star break.
—Sacbee.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Will Porter has spent the past few years breaking back into tennis by taking lessons and playing matches with friends.
—Will Porter, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2025
But an injury put an end to that impressive string of games, as Jovic broke his right hand on Feb. 23 and missed the final 27 games of last regular season.
—Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
Noun
One thing that hasn’t changed coming into the break: Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are still the headliners of the season.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 14 July 2025
Ninety-eight games are enough to get a sense of where the A’s stand heading into the All-Star break.
—Sacbee.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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The industry’s year of strikes in 2023 also disrupted the flow of Hollywood movie releases to the local multiplex.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
11 July 2025
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Frequent use can disrupt normal bowel function and lead to laxative dependence or chronic constipation.7 Only use castor oil under medical guidance.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Shortly after Braun’s executive order, the Indiana Department of Health told local health departments to stop accepting requests to change genders on birth certificates.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
24 July 2025
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Organizations need to stop managing change and start creating it.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Verb
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Do not follow large vehicles closely - Large vehicles like trucks or buses can create a spray of water that can reduce your visibility.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
26 July 2025
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Studies have shown that matcha can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.—
Michiko Tomioka,
CNBC,
26 July 2025
Verb
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Imagine walking into your doctor’s office feeling sick – and rather than flipping through pages of your medical history or running tests that take days, your doctor instantly pulls together data from your health records, genetic profile and wearable devices to help decipher what’s wrong.—
Turgay Ayer,
The Conversation,
11 July 2025
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The sister looked for clues in the woman’s body language, something adoring and sympathetic, but could not decipher whether this woman was the child’s mother.—
Nora Lange,
New Yorker,
10 July 2025
Verb
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In a video from the concert, Wonder pauses his show to speak to the audience about his personal life and how being blind has impacted his perception of the world around him.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
15 July 2025
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When a player would challenge a call, the game would pause, and attention would turn to the stadium’s massive screen beyond right center field.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
15 July 2025
Verb
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At least 30 people were injured after a car plowed through a crowd early Saturday in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, authorities said.—
Jon Haworth,
ABC News,
19 July 2025
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In a semifinal that fell well short of its billing, Sinner plowed through an ailing Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to set up another Grand Slam final against Alcaraz, who beat him in over five hours and five sets of electric tennis in Paris.—
The Athletic Tennis Staff,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Under the proposal, violating the permit restrictions would carry a $150 fine.—
John Tuohy,
IndyStar,
23 July 2025
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Then, in November 2023, a mistrial was declared in a federal trial over whether Hankison violated the civil rights of Taylor, her boyfriend and neighbors after the jury could not come to a decision.—
Josh Wood,
The Courier-Journal,
23 July 2025
Verb
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Red Bull has been struggling to solve issues with its RB21 F1 car, as McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris dominate the grid for the 2025 championship.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 July 2025
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But if Grier and McDaniel get the culture right this time that goes a long way toward solving problems of the past few years.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
19 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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