1
as in to stop
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the judge broke off court proceedings until after lunch
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to end
to come to an end
talks between the two sides broke off when one began making unreasonable demands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break off
Among efforts—three engagements to women that ended up breaking off.
—
Cathy Applefeld Olson, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Two of Rubén’s older sons, who married Russian acrobats during international stints, broke off and founded their own troupe as Circus Caballero.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026
Don’t twist or jerk the tick, which can cause the mouth to break off in your skin.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
This prompted the officer to break off the chase.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for break off
Cathy Applefeld Olson, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Two of Rubén’s older sons, who married Russian acrobats during international stints, broke off and founded their own troupe as Circus Caballero.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026
Don’t twist or jerk the tick, which can cause the mouth to break off in your skin.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
This prompted the officer to break off the chase.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for break off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break off
Verb
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In order to secure the funds, the family members submitted fake financial instruments and money orders, continuing to do so even after the IRS sent them letters telling them to stop, according to the statement.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026
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The order, which Trump signed in private on June 2, stops short of mandating that the federal government conduct safety evaluations and cybersecurity testing for advanced AI products.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The argument is that increasing fear among Ukrainian citizens will in turn put more pressure on Zelensky’s government to end the war on the Kremlin’s terms.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
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The superintendent of the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District said that a shooting took place after the graduation ceremonies had ended.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Or maybe fun and games ceased some 20 years ago when Facebook, Twitter and Instagram launched and anonymous threats could be dispatched by anyone with an account.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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Drone strikes on the UAE are still occurring sporadically, but the wide-scale alerts of the early conflict have ceased — along with the associated distress.—
Melanie Swan,
CNN Money,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Ryan Wilcox, a spokesperson for GDP, told CBS Colorado that the company's ground lease expired May 25.—
Brian Maass,
CBS News,
2 June 2026
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The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning, which has since expired, for parts of northeastern Wyandotte County, southeastern Platte County, and southwestern Clay County after the thunderstorms dumped 3 inches or more.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
2 June 2026
Verb
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They were fined and banned from participating in the following World Cup and qualifiers, halting any progress.—
Andrew McNicol,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
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But many national security experts say the deal, while not perfect, succeeded in its main goals of halting Iran's march toward proliferation and enabling effective monitoring of Tehran's nuclear activities.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Party activists like her but concluded this is not her time.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
6 June 2026
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Citing Florida’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research, investment bank UBS crunched the rosy numbers and concluded that promised benefits are off.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
Verb
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The Forest Service has denied that the pending closures are intended to force workers to quit and has suggested that employees in the facilities being evaluated for shut down would be consolidated into one location in Colorado.—
Chiara Eisner,
NPR,
6 June 2026
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Such events quit being for the common fan a while ago.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
Verb
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So the Devil orders the father to cut off his daughter’s offending hands.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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The strait’s closure continues to cut off 20% of the world’s oil supply from global markets, along with liquid natural gas and fertilizer needed for a functioning global economy.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20off. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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