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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6
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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14
15
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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4
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
CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
Sign up fors free True Crime newsletter PEOPLE' for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2025
His band in those days was led by Max Weinberg, who’d got his big break two decades earlier, with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
—Chris Almeida, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Looters broke into a house owned by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati outside the capital Jakarta overnight, state news agency Antara reported on Sunday.
—CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
Sign up fors free True Crime newsletter PEOPLE' for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Noun
Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac shared a teary hug during the approximately 14-minute applause break.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2025
His band in those days was led by Max Weinberg, who’d got his big break two decades earlier, with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
—Chris Almeida, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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Months after Milwaukee officials began talking about the issue, street takeovers continue to disrupt the city.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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That’s because the same technology that may be disrupting traditional jobs could accelerate entirely new industries from space tourism to planet colonization.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Fall weather isn't stopping the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) as its crews are set to begin a number of construction work across the state.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Good Fortune follows Reeves as an angel, Gabriel, tasked by his boss, Martha (Sandra Oh), with stopping humans from dying while texting and driving.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Made with prebiotic oat to soothe irritation and support the skin barrier, the gentle cream also has feverfew extract, which is packed with antioxidants that reduce redness and further calm irritation.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
4 Sep. 2025
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Funding used in high school for more than 29 credit hours will reduce scholarship eligibility after high school by one year, and more than 59 credit hours will reduce eligibility by two years.—
Edward McKinnon,
Arkansas Online,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For families deciphering what’s necessary and what to skip in a skin regimen, building a healthy routine for kids can be easy to manage.—
Khanh T.L. Tran,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
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To make deciphering all these invites a little easier, here’s what to know about formal attire.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Idris and his wife paused to share a kiss at the event, with the action star wearing a suave dark gray suit and matching black shoes.—
Tommy McArdle,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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The best communicators pause, assess and then move with clarity.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Investors have plowed close to $350 million in the space with a new crop of startups like Omi and Limitless releasing wearables, while Amazon just snapped up Bee, a tiny note-taking device startup, for an undisclosed amount.—
Rashi Shrivastava,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Once the target audience for novelists, boys and young men are much more likely to spend time gaming than plowing through 400 pages of anything.—
Doug McIntyre,
Oc Register,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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However, a Minnesota court struck down the binary trigger ban, arguing that the legislature violated the state constitution’s single-subject clause by burying the ban inside a sprawling spending bill.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
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And Congress is unlikely to grant him new tariff powers after the courts just ruled that doing so unilaterally violated the separation of powers.—
Brett Erickson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But Trotter said the mystery of where the Carruthers ended up has been solved.—
Frank Witsil,
Freep.com,
25 Aug. 2025
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Manfred already has those problems solved with expansion and geographical realignment on his baseball bucket list.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
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