Synonyms of breaking
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as in disrupting 
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as in stopping
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as in reducing
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as in deciphering
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as in pausing
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as in plowing
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as in violating
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as in solving
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as in damaging
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as in dying
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as in retreating
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as in wearing
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as in spreading
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as in bankrupting
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as in originating
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as in veering
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as in lowering
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as in exceeding
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as in surfacing
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Example Sentences
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Phrases Containing
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Entries Near
1
as in disrupting
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 stopping
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
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3
as in reducing
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 deciphering
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 pausing
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
as in plowing
to cut into and turn over the sod of (a piece of land) using a bladed implement
farmers once broke fields with horse-drawn plows
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7
as in violating
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 solving
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 damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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10
as in dying
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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11
as in retreating
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 wearing
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
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13
as in spreading
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
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14
as in bankrupting
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts
another bad investment could break him
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15
as in originating
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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16
as in veering
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 lowering
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
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18
as in exceeding
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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19
as in surfacing
to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below
dolphins were breaking all around the boat
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of breaking
The therapy works by breaking a cycle.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
For those on the cusp of breaking into senior football, however, conditions are in a state of flux.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Then came a barrage of three hurricanes — Gabrielle, Humberto and Imelda — forming in a two-week-stretch to end September, breaking an unusual quiet spell.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
Best Amazon Prime Day Home Deals Under $25 Give your home the ultimate fall upgrade without even breaking $100.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Oct. 2025
Each issue is filled with breaking news, deep insights, and exclusive strategies for becoming a better traveler.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
In the cataclysmic civil war at Kuru-kshetra, both the divine Pandava brothers and their treacherous cousins, the Kauravas, end up breaking the rules of war to achieve victory at any cost.
—Seamus Sullivan
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
The tie-breaking format giveth and taketh away.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
For those on the cusp of breaking into senior football, however, conditions are in a state of flux.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Then came a barrage of three hurricanes — Gabrielle, Humberto and Imelda — forming in a two-week-stretch to end September, breaking an unusual quiet spell.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
Best Amazon Prime Day Home Deals Under $25 Give your home the ultimate fall upgrade without even breaking $100.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Oct. 2025
Each issue is filled with breaking news, deep insights, and exclusive strategies for becoming a better traveler.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
In the cataclysmic civil war at Kuru-kshetra, both the divine Pandava brothers and their treacherous cousins, the Kauravas, end up breaking the rules of war to achieve victory at any cost.
—Seamus Sullivan
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
The tie-breaking format giveth and taketh away.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking
Verb
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Ride-hailing giants Uber and Bolt are disrupting Kenya’s lucrative safari market with new services that are driving fears of price cuts among traditional tour operators.—
Martin K.N Siele,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Cuban founded Cost Plus Drugs, a similar direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform, in 2022 with the goal of disrupting the health care industry.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That suit, which Lukenbill’s attorneys Brad Carroll and Michael Laino filed July 11, was primarily concerned with stopping efforts by the city to limit occupancy at the bar.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Chappell Roan’s new hair color Based on reviews of the New York shows, KC audiences should expect show-stopping moments, a new hair color for the famous redhead, an emotional speech of thanks and perhaps a special guest.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The findings have led to the development of potential medical treatments that scientists hope could cure autoimmune diseases, the committee said, as well as providing more effective cancer treatments and reducing complications after stem cell and organ transplants.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
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Research has shown the benefits of exercise in mitigating the effects of aging by increasing blood flow to the brain and reducing the risk of chronic conditions, such as heart disease.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Though historians have called for further research before making claims, the proposal of a script rooted in sign language might open the chance to explore a new way of deciphering Mayan art and show the ancient civilization to be even more sophisticated and efficient than scholars even knew.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Sep. 2025
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Now, a team of international astronomers has succeeded in deciphering the gravitational wave signal, GW190412, to determine more about the collision and the resulting event that sent an infant black hole hurtling through space.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Stellantis is temporarily pausing production at eight of its plants in Europe amid lagging demand for models including the Alfa Romeo Tonale sport utility vehicle and the Fiat Panda.—
Gabrielle Coppola,
Fortune,
4 Oct. 2025
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Afterwards, walk through the dazzling Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, pausing to admire the glass dome and beautiful mosaic floors (but beware of pickpockets).—
Laura Itzkowitz,
AFAR Media,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But on Sunday morning, a visitor took advantage of the church’s open arms – plowing his truck into an LDS chapel in Michigan, shooting worshippers with an assault weapon and setting the building on fire.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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Today, a lot of big companies—Softbank, Alibaba, etc—are plowing hundreds of billions of dollars into achieving artificial general intelligence, or AGI.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But the remarks follow Russian drone incursions into Poland as well as Russian fighter jets violating Estonian airspace, forcing NATO to intercept them.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
4 Oct. 2025
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Board meetings were also being held in secret, violating state law.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The flume will be able to melt ice in the winter, solving a problem SRP has dealt with when creeks and rivers take on ice.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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Rizo had an incredible comeback in finding a treasure in the sand after solving a puzzle.—
Christopher Kuhagen,
jsonline.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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