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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Relevance
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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
These titles include Hijra, from ground-breaking Saudi director Shahad Ameen; TIFF selections Amoeba by Tan Siyou and Maddie by John Early as well as AI documentary Intelligence Rising from Oscar and BAFTA winning filmmaker Elena Andreicheva.
—
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2026
His most recent stop before Arkansas was in Baltimore, Maryland, as a night and breaking news editor.
—Arkansas Online, 31 Mar. 2026
The plot, spread thin to the point of breaking even at a scant 98 minutes, loosely adapts that of the original game.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
And antisemitic ideas have proven trivially easy to recycle, reuse, repurpose, and adapt to breaking news.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Sentinel staff took first place in breaking news for collaborating on the Epic Universe opening, providing coverage on wait times, a ride guide for the park and a timeline of how the theme park evolved.
—Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
Betul, who knows a thing or two about breaking free of familial ties, is emotional and warm in her response.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
These companies are sometimes willing to take greater risks because breaking even in theatrical isn’t the end-all-be-all goal.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
Rebecca Cohen Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2026
His most recent stop before Arkansas was in Baltimore, Maryland, as a night and breaking news editor.
—Arkansas Online, 31 Mar. 2026
The plot, spread thin to the point of breaking even at a scant 98 minutes, loosely adapts that of the original game.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
And antisemitic ideas have proven trivially easy to recycle, reuse, repurpose, and adapt to breaking news.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Sentinel staff took first place in breaking news for collaborating on the Epic Universe opening, providing coverage on wait times, a ride guide for the park and a timeline of how the theme park evolved.
—Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
Betul, who knows a thing or two about breaking free of familial ties, is emotional and warm in her response.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
These companies are sometimes willing to take greater risks because breaking even in theatrical isn’t the end-all-be-all goal.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
Rebecca Cohen Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking
Verb
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Aid workers at Ladan say the raging war in the Middle East — more than 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles) away — has made their work harder, disrupting supplies and sending fuel costs soaring.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
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In a moment when the market is worried about the technology disrupting a slew of online companies' business models, Young believes Chewy is a safe play.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Brooke Bereuter was masterful in goal for Grapevine shutting out Argyle (18-4-3) until the shootout, including stopping a key penalty kick in the first half.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
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And on Monday, March 30, the court upheld the stay, effectively stopping any chance that the execution would happen as scheduled.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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By influencing two metabolic pathways, both medications may similarly improve blood sugar control while also reducing appetite.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
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Understanding the gravity of a red flag warning and adhering to these precautions is pivotal in reducing the risk of wildfires during these hazardous conditions.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The clicks are part of a growing sperm whale phonetic alphabet that researchers at CETI are deciphering.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
26 Mar. 2026
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Binary neutron stars have long been considered the best bet for deciphering what lurks within.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Those groups all called for pausing or cancelling the project.—
Desiree Mathurin
March 27,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
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When told about the effort, Brown became emotional, pausing before expressing his gratitude.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Aside from billionaire hedge fund founder and environmental activist Tom Steyer, who registered at 10% support after plowing tens of millions of dollars into his campaign, no other Democrat had won support from more than 5% of likely voters, the poll showed.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
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Others have issues with the imagery on the seal on the flag, which depicts a settler plowing the land as a Native American rides off on horseback into the distance.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Meta must pay $375 million for violating New Mexico law in child exploitation case, jury rules.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
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In its latest report, Human Rights Watch said Israel's tactics of forcible displacement and deliberate targeting of civilians in Lebanon risk violating international law and constitute war crimes.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The action to rescue her falls eventually to Mario and Luigi, having relocated permanently to the Mushroom Kingdom and serving as protectors of the realm, solving problems for its inhabitants.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
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The team is solving a case that could save their agency.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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