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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break off
Johnson then carried the ball on the last four plays, breaking off carries of eight, nine and 10 yards.
—
Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Baby rattlesnakes don’t have rattles, and adult snakes’ rattles occasionally break off, according to the National Park Service.
—Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Their recent outings come nearly a year after Kravitz and ex-fiancé Channing Tatum broke off their engagement in October 2024.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In 2024, the actress broke off her engagement to Channing Tatum.
—Hannah Madlener, Glamour, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break off
Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Baby rattlesnakes don’t have rattles, and adult snakes’ rattles occasionally break off, according to the National Park Service.
—Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Their recent outings come nearly a year after Kravitz and ex-fiancé Channing Tatum broke off their engagement in October 2024.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In 2024, the actress broke off her engagement to Channing Tatum.
—Hannah Madlener, Glamour, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break off
Verb
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Nothing better than putting down the top and driving beautiful roads just after the rain stops and the air is powerfully charged by the nearby ocean, scrubbed clean.—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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In fact, water levels at Lake Powell, one of the main water storage reservoirs for the Colorado River Basin, could fall low enough to stop hydropower generation at the reservoir by December 2026, according to the NOAA report.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Election laws are set at the state level, meaning that any order from the president seeking to end the voting option would likely be met with legal challenges.—
Hailey Bullis,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
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Daylight saving time ends (slightly) earlier in 2025.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Without any of the three, money once again ceases to circulate.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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After that, production would temporarily cease with operations idling until October 2025 in order to complete retooling work to prepare the facility for production of the 2026 model year.—
Jackie Charniga,
Freep.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The expiring boost, implemented in Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act under former President Joe Biden, applies to 22 million of the 24 million low- and middle-income Americans with plans through the ACA marketplace.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
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Republicans have proposed several short-term funding options running from November to January, but Democrats want Republicans to negotiate with them, especially on extending expiring health care subsidies.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The United States has suspended some funding for its flagship AIDS relief program, according to international organizations and members of Congress who warn the cuts are already hurting patients and halting critical projects globally.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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In late August, nine Republican House lawmakers sent a letter urging the DOJ to halt a cannabis rescheduling proposal.—
Dario Sabaghi,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Amazon Prime Video’s six-part thriller concluded with an ending that cannonballed into new territory and paddled swiftly away from the ending of Michelle Frances’ 2017 novel of the same name.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Trump was right again in concluding that the Federal Reserve has been too late in responding to the deterioration of the job market.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Then the key to Finnish success in reducing homelessness is the housing-first model, where the logic is that you're not required to quit using alcohol or narcotics.—
Kristen Edgreen Kaufman,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Growing economic uncertainty has kept workers from quitting their jobs and has led businesses to slow down hiring decisions, experts say.—
Ana Teresa Solá,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But some scientists, while endorsing the need to drastically reduce planet-heating pollution, warned against cutting off research into polar geoengineering.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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This was in Brighton, in the south of England, in a valley, cut off from the outside world.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20off. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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