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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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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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
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 3 May 2025
One night, however, his grandfather, Harland Rust (Alec Baldwin), a legendary aging outlaw who hasn’t been heard from for years, emerges to break his grandson out of jail and whisk him across the border.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 May 2025
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 2 May 2025
On April 29, 2025, a source told Page Six that the break was much needed.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
There were alliances that formed and broke, romances that formed and broke, friendships that formed and broke.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 3 May 2025
One night, however, his grandfather, Harland Rust (Alec Baldwin), a legendary aging outlaw who hasn’t been heard from for years, emerges to break his grandson out of jail and whisk him across the border.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 May 2025
Noun
The Knicks then exorcised another demon — awful performances coming out of the halftime break.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 2 May 2025
On April 29, 2025, a source told Page Six that the break was much needed.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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Teachers have banned it from the classroom after kids disrupted lessons by reciting its signature gibberish, Parents reports.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes.com,
3 May 2025
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It’s reported that 44% of workers' skills will be disrupted within the next five years due to rapid advances in AI and automation.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
Verb
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Commentary: Is Trump's plan for tariff relief for automakers too late to stop global impact?—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
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At school the next day, he was treated as an art piece, in which his classmates stopped and stared.—
Akili King,
Essence,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Answer: Your withdrawals from retirement plans won’t reduce your Social Security directly.—
Liz Weston,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2025
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The trial of estrogen alone also raised safety concerns, though both types of therapy reduced the risk of bone fractures.—
Jean Wactawski-Wende,
The Conversation,
2 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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Skydance is pausing new spending on a high-profile drama series starring and executive produced by Jeremy Strong and written and executive produced by Tobias Lindholm and Frank Pugliese, sources tell Deadline.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
3 May 2025
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People pause, stumble over words, laugh at unexpected moments, and show real emotion.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
3 May 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Immigrant rights advocates argued the administration violated a court order by flying four Venezuelans from Guantanamo to El Salvador.—
Nate Raymond,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
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If so, what core value was that hour-long run violating?—
Randi Braun,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Some companies may pivot to domestic manufacturing, but this transition takes time and may not solve the issue.—
Rytis Lauris,
Forbes.com,
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 11 May. 2025.
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