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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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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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
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
Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2026
That project will allow advertisers to contextually search for moments or sentiments in scenes proximate to ad breaks.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 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
That means many families will be looking for things to do while on break.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2026
That project will allow advertisers to contextually search for moments or sentiments in scenes proximate to ad breaks.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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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
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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
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After Elmarko Jackson’s flagrant foul stopping a dunk in transition — the play was called a common foul but quickly upgraded to a flagrant-one — the Jayhawks and Sun Devils came together.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
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The administration has tried everything in its toolbox to stop it, based on not data or studies or anything much beyond rich-old-man pique.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Blackstone did so in part by allowing the firm's own investors to plow $150 million into the fund.—
Hugh Son,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
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Police and fire may respond to calls even before snow plows clear city and town streets.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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The invention also solves another issue.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
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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 10 Mar. 2026.
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