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
The Senate’s move to break off the DHS bill from the broader package assures that the House will need to reapprove the package.
—
Garrett Downs, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
In that unlikely scenario, there would be a risk of debris breaking off the asteroid and hitting Earth.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Police were called to the home twice to respond to reports of angry outbursts from Bushey, once after the knives were removed and once after the locks were changed, which reportedly led Bushey to break off a doorknob to enter the house.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
After that mission, NASA found chunks of the heat shield had broken off, leaving divots in the charred Avcoat material.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break off
Garrett Downs, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
In that unlikely scenario, there would be a risk of debris breaking off the asteroid and hitting Earth.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Police were called to the home twice to respond to reports of angry outbursts from Bushey, once after the knives were removed and once after the locks were changed, which reportedly led Bushey to break off a doorknob to enter the house.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
After that mission, NASA found chunks of the heat shield had broken off, leaving divots in the charred Avcoat material.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break off
Verb
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But that didn’t stop her, and a few days later Waller was able to make contact with Huntington-Whiteley through another fashion influencer on Instagram – and the designer coat was successfully acquired.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
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The officers provided first aid and attempted to stop the bleeding following the shooting, according to the agency.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That was followed days later by the US strike on Iran, which effectively ended the process.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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The bills would prohibit all state employees and agencies from entering into 287(g) agreements and would require that all existing agreements end.—
Mike Hellgren,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Cardozo added that all milking operations have ceased, and some beef and non-lactating dairy cattle are still grazing.—
Richard Halstead,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Désirée Zamorano Writer and educator Désirée Zamorano recalls the intensity of the time surrounding the Eaton fire last year, bookended by political stress, which hasn’t ceased.—
Erica Zora Wrightson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And progressives also criticized Lamont in November for waiting until one week after food stamp benefits from Washington had expired — due to a temporary federal government shutdown — before agreeing to revive the assistance using state dollars.—
John Moritz,
Hartford Courant,
3 Feb. 2026
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The fate of hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants in the United States hangs in the balance, despite a federal judge’s injunction that stopped their immigration status from expiring.—
Philip Wang,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Train traffic was halted overnight at the request of police and resumed Thursday morning, the railway said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
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After Garner shared the story of her first encounter with Baker, Coster-Waldau was caught off-guard and halted the conversation.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the meantime, here are four things (there’s plenty more) to know about the globally renowned festival that concludes Sunday and the one headed to Colorado in January 2027.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Denver Post,
31 Jan. 2026
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As the Snake year concludes, releasing excess nervous energy becomes essential.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The approach can reduce the risk of injury, exhaustion and people quitting altogether, Stanford said.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Yet O'Hara, who in 1981 quit Saturday Night Live after one week, has earned a reputation as a performer who doesn't want to work.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Viktor Gyokeres’ access was cut off, and, save for a few long balls to Gabriel Martinelli, Arsenal struggled to get past Chelsea’s final line.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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The Islamic Republic has shut down the internet and cut off telephone communications, paralyzing the country.—
Shahrnush Parsipur,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20off. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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