1
as in ending
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 stopping
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 breaking off
Johnson then carried the ball on the last four plays, breaking off carries of eight, nine and 10 yards.
—
Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
After breaking off her first engagement with Affleck in 2004, the singer went on to marry singer-songwriter Marc Anthony.
—Ariana Quihuiz, People.com, 24 Aug. 2025
An individual was treated for injuries in connection with an incident involving acrylic glass breaking off of a water slide, a Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson indicated in a statement to Fox News Digital.
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
After breaking off her first engagement with Affleck in 2004, the singer went on to marry singer-songwriter Marc Anthony.
—Ariana Quihuiz, People.com, 24 Aug. 2025
An individual was treated for injuries in connection with an incident involving acrylic glass breaking off of a water slide, a Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson indicated in a statement to Fox News Digital.
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking off
Verb
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Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the state news agency TASS that Putin had extended an invitation to Trump following the leaders' meeting in Alaska on August 15, which provided no breakthrough on ending the war in Ukraine.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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Despite making wholesale changes to his life and training heading into UFC 316, Dvalishvili easily dispatched O’Malley in their second meeting, ending the fight in the third round via submission.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For thinkers like Ratti, the time for stopping or slowing climate change has passed, and the time for climate adaptation is upon us.—
Kate Wagner,
Curbed,
5 Sep. 2025
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The European Commission isn't stopping with financial penalties, though.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The group’s catalog maintains a never-ceasing presence on charts all around the world, and many of the rock classic hits included in the outfit’s discography still sell and stream in meaningful numbers every single week.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Burger Patch, a fully vegan burger fast-food chain, is ceasing operations on Monday after eight years in business across the Sacramento region, the company wrote on its website.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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With Tsunoda experiencing difficulties in getting used to the RB21 F1 car, and with his Red Bull contract expiring at the end of this year, Hadjar's name has been floated for a potential Red Bull promotion.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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Valdez ignored Salazar and delivered the pitch barely ahead of the pitch clock expiring.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Rhode Island and Connecticut have said that halting construction of Revolution Wind would harm the states, their residents, investments and the offshore wind industry.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
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The lawsuit, filed in Cole County, marks the first legal challenge aimed at halting a special legislative session designed to carve up the Kansas City region and overhaul the state’s initiative petition process.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Both times, Macy’s rejected the buyout offers, concluding the deals wouldn’t be in shareholders’ best interests.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
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When she was eventually reached, both Rajab and the paramedics were found dead, with media investigations concluding that an Israeli tank had likely fired 335 rounds into the car.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Ewpjdk 4-Pack Garden Pruning Shears come with four pruning shears for the price of one and are versatile enough to take on all kinds of fall pruning tasks, like harvesting, clipping, deadheading, and cutting off the final fruits of the season, before winter comes.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Sep. 2025
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The 11-year-old was suffering an asthma attack, which was cutting off his supply of oxygen.—
Ciara McCarthy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The phones were all on and were not shutting off.—
Yaakov Katz,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
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Once in the body, CO molecules hijack your red blood cells, overpowering oxygen in the bloodstream and shutting off critical O2 supply to the brain, heart and other organs.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20off. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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