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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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
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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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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
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Recent Examples of break
Danielle Bacher, People.com, 16 May 2025
But Sentry breaks free from her control and then, fueled by Bob's repressed emotions, transforms into a shadowy figure called The Void, putting New York City and our heroes in dire straits.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 May 2025
Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
Returning from the break, Granite Hills took control, outscoring Saints 4-1 in the third quarter.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
—Danielle Bacher, People.com, 16 May 2025
But Sentry breaks free from her control and then, fueled by Bob's repressed emotions, transforms into a shadowy figure called The Void, putting New York City and our heroes in dire straits.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 May 2025
Noun
Snag a stay here for an epic Paris stay or visit the garden for an afternoon break from it all.
L’Aventure
4 Av.
—Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
Returning from the break, Granite Hills took control, outscoring Saints 4-1 in the third quarter.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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Light pollution disrupts animal behavior, interrupts plant cycles, and affects human health.—
Valerie Stimac,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
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Indeed, on Thursday in Basel, a small group of protesters blew whistles and waved flags to disrupt one of Raphael’s public rehearsals.—
Alex Marshall,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Verb
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The chase reportedly ended when Buckley wrecked near the intersection of Watts and McAlister streets, an area of mostly forest about 1 1/2 miles southeast of where Buckley was first stopped.—
Grant Lancaster,
Arkansas Online,
25 May 2025
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It's been hard for any team to stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named the regular season MVP.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
Verb
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Their original sentences, which were 12 years and seven years, respectively, were reduced in September 2023.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
28 May 2025
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With Bayern aiming to reduce their wage bill, the Wirtz signing would have come at the cost of at least an extra €20million (£16.8m, $22.7m) per year, on top of a transfer fee somewhere between €100m and €150m.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Instead of administrators spending countless hours deciphering page after page of information and increasing risk of errors being made, AI agents are powering document capture for a better, more efficient way to work.—
Navaneeth Nair,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
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In early May, the Vesuvius Challenge announced that contestants Marcel Roth and Micha Nowak, computer scientists at Germany’s University of Würzburg, would receive $60,000 for deciphering the title.—
Ellen Wexler,
Smithsonian Magazine,
16 May 2025
Verb
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The common element is that a single federal judge in one of 94 regional districts paused a policy for the entire country while the case is being litigated.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
18 May 2025
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The tariffs then took effect again on March 4, though Trump later paused tariffs on automobiles and exempted many products from the tariffs on March 6.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Investigators arriving at a bizarre scene where a car plowed through a house found a 19-year-old driver with a gunshot wound to the chest and a bicyclist dead under the car, Florida authorities said.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2025
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Meanwhile, a lower mass object, likely a star, is orbiting very close to the black hole and periodically plows through the accretion disk.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
9 May 2025
Verb
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In Minnesota, leaders are bracing for the possibility that Trump will pardon Chauvin, who is serving concurrent state and federal prison sentences for murder, violating Floyd's constitutional rights and other crimes.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
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The refrigerator was not cold enough and two cats roamed the shop, violating state food code.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
24 May 2025
Verb
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Instead, Kit and Sam use their knowledge of the animal kingdom to solve problems in different animal communities.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
20 May 2025
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Already, the technology has shown its capacity to solve complex problems, optimize processes and inform enhanced decision-making.—
Chris Brown,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
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