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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Relevance
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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
Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
And video game spinoffs of the Italian Brainrot cinematic universe have broken all sorts of records on Roblox and Fortnite.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025
What issue will have preoccupied both managers during the break?
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Jennifer Jolly Special to USA Today The internet didn’t wait long to break OpenAI’s newest toy.
—Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
And video game spinoffs of the Italian Brainrot cinematic universe have broken all sorts of records on Roblox and Fortnite.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
This includes directing users to professional help, strengthening safeguards on sensitive topics, and encouraging breaks during long sessions.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025
What issue will have preoccupied both managers during the break?
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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He was also accused of disrupting a second informational table hosted by a student group, according to Illinois State University Police.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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Kathryn Palmer The shutdown unfortunately disrupted my weekend plans to check out the FDR Presidential Library in upstate New York, but the gorgeous fall weather in the area was a welcome consolation.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Wearing a floor-length brown double-breasted coat featuring buttons that stopped at her waist, the attire created a sultry thigh-high slit that allowed Jolie's leg to peek through.—
Nicholas Rice,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
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Studies in animals and reports from people show that the side effects of this drug can continue even after someone stops taking it.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As part of a plea agreement, the murder charge was reduced to involuntary manslaughter, and the remaining charges were dismissed.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
22 Oct. 2025
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Additional heavy rainfall is possible beyond Saturday; however, uncertainty in Melissa's track and forward speed reduces confidence in exact totals.—
MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT,
Miami Herald,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The audience is put into her shoes, only able to decipher what is going on by listening to the men banging around the house trying to kill her.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
19 Oct. 2025
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No, Lindsey did not decipher a few revealing tarot cards or see the future inside a crystal ball.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Her video featured her usual format of showing herself making an iced coffee before pausing to speak to the camera.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
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On Wednesday, the university issued a cease-and-desist order effectively pausing all activities for the fraternity, according to Rutgers’ website.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Singh has now been arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated after plowing his big rig into slow-moving traffic on the I-10 Freeway in San Bernardino County.—
Jasmine Baehr , Bill Melugin,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
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But the images of bulldozers plowing down the East Wing, which has housed the offices of the first lady and others in the White House, has drawn sharp criticism.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In summer 2024, another complaint focused on the classified documents case, accusing the FBI of violating his privacy with the Mar-a-Lago raid and the DOJ of malicious prosecution.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
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The Kelly administration has refused to comply, contending that doing so would be a privacy breach that violates state and federal law because the USDA has indicated the data could be shared with outside groups.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, in dress form, this problem is solved!—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
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Fields will now have to solve his problems without his favorite receiver.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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