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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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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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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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
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Recent Examples of break
Danielle Bacher, People.com, 16 May 2025
But Sentry breaks free from her control and then, fueled by Bob's repressed emotions, transforms into a shadowy figure called The Void, putting New York City and our heroes in dire straits.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 May 2025
Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
Returning from the break, Granite Hills took control, outscoring Saints 4-1 in the third quarter.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
—Danielle Bacher, People.com, 16 May 2025
But Sentry breaks free from her control and then, fueled by Bob's repressed emotions, transforms into a shadowy figure called The Void, putting New York City and our heroes in dire straits.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 May 2025
Noun
Snag a stay here for an epic Paris stay or visit the garden for an afternoon break from it all.
L’Aventure
4 Av.
—Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
Returning from the break, Granite Hills took control, outscoring Saints 4-1 in the third quarter.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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Light pollution disrupts animal behavior, interrupts plant cycles, and affects human health.—
Valerie Stimac,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
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Body temperatures reaching 104 degrees Fahrenheit can cause heatstroke, a condition that disrupts biological processes throughout the body.—
Sanket Jain,
Smithsonian Magazine,
16 May 2025
Verb
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In 2010, a small city nestled between the Rocky Mountains and Lake Pend Oreille in North Idaho voted to stop adding fluoride to its municipal water system.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
12 May 2025
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There was no anger from the stands or the players at a 20th league defeat — everybody stopped being too concerned by their league form a long time ago.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
12 May 2025
Verb
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An estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with health care by at least 7.6 million from the Medicaid changes, and possibly more with other changes to the Affordable Care Act.—
Kevin Freking,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2025
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Another question has to do with the probiotics themselves: Can all probiotic supplements reduce negative feelings, or is there something specific about these nine bacteria included in the study?—
Simon Spichak,
Health,
16 May 2025
Verb
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On paper, the perfect match might not be difficult to decipher, and Lucy very much looks at the numbers.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
2 May 2025
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However, the current system is a mishmash of educational jargon that is difficult to decipher.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The common element is that a single federal judge in one of 94 regional districts paused a policy for the entire country while the case is being litigated.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
18 May 2025
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The tariffs then took effect again on March 4, though Trump later paused tariffs on automobiles and exempted many products from the tariffs on March 6.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Listen to this article At least four students were killed and another six people injured after an SUV plowed through an afterschool program in a community 12 miles south of Springfield, Illinois, police said.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2025
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The car struck several people outside the building before plowing through it, hitting many inside.—
Sara Tenenbaum, Sara Machi, Ian Lee,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Penalties for violating the new rule can exceed $50,000.—
Monica Pitrelli,Bella Stoddart,
CNBC,
12 May 2025
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That was when the makers, Epic Games, included a direct payment option into the app, which violated Apple’s rules.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Verb
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Following the murder of her best friend, she’s forced to outrun the mob in her 1969 Plymouth Barracuda, traversing the byways of America while solving murders along the way.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2025
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No other sport has hockey’s TV problems, that HD did not solve.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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