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
Relevance
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
Throughout the series, the couple navigated major life changes, including Lily’s brief move to San Francisco after breaking off her engagement with Marshall, plus arguments about their respective careers.
—
Jane Lacroix, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026
Tonga provides an immediate upgrade there, and, at worst, should take some pressure off a secondary that too often had to play superhero on the back end to prevent opposing running backs from breaking off big gains.
—Jesse Newell, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Vrabel first held a press conference at a podium inside the Indiana Convention Center before breaking off into a less formal side session with local reporters later.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
While that thankfully hasn't been the case this year, the county did have a hit-and-run involving a semi breaking off a snowplow mirror.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 4 Feb. 2026
In that unlikely scenario, there would be a risk of debris breaking off the asteroid and hitting Earth.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Once enough cars have sped over these fissures, chunks begin breaking off to create those infamous potholes that pop tires and ruin shocks.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2025
Weiss made a career for herself as an op-ed staff editor at The New York Times before breaking off from the mainstream publication in 2020 and launching the Free Press.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Lopez and Affleck, one of the quintessential pop culture couples of the early 2000s, famously rekindled their romance in 2021 and wed the following year, two decades after breaking off their first engagement in late 2002.
—Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
Jane Lacroix, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026
Tonga provides an immediate upgrade there, and, at worst, should take some pressure off a secondary that too often had to play superhero on the back end to prevent opposing running backs from breaking off big gains.
—Jesse Newell, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Vrabel first held a press conference at a podium inside the Indiana Convention Center before breaking off into a less formal side session with local reporters later.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
While that thankfully hasn't been the case this year, the county did have a hit-and-run involving a semi breaking off a snowplow mirror.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 4 Feb. 2026
In that unlikely scenario, there would be a risk of debris breaking off the asteroid and hitting Earth.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Once enough cars have sped over these fissures, chunks begin breaking off to create those infamous potholes that pop tires and ruin shocks.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2025
Weiss made a career for herself as an op-ed staff editor at The New York Times before breaking off from the mainstream publication in 2020 and launching the Free Press.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Lopez and Affleck, one of the quintessential pop culture couples of the early 2000s, famously rekindled their romance in 2021 and wed the following year, two decades after breaking off their first engagement in late 2002.
—Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking off
Verb
-
However, Richey escaped any further damage with an inning-ending strikeout.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
-
This one, coming off the back of two hugely disappointing, trophy-ending, and potentially derailing defeats, was one of their best of the season.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Peanut cannot smell, but caregivers say that limitation does not appear to be stopping him from adjusting to his new surroundings.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
There are 81 rooms in total, ranging from classic doubles to one-bedroom apartments, while the show-stopping penthouse suite has a dining table for eight, a dressing room and an enormous 130-square-metre rooftop terrace with a private sauna and cold plunge pool overlooking Fitzrovia.—
Siobhan Grogan,
TheWeek,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In practice, that involved ceasing to provide links or recommendations to official Potter events and products and committing themselves to directly countering the misinformation Rowling was spreading to her vast online audience.—
Séamas O'Reilly,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
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Without ever ceasing to be an artist.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Antetokounmpo is in the first year of a three-year, $175 million deal, but next season, he will be viewed as an expiring contract, wielding the power to decline the Year 3 player option to enter unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2027.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In that sense, the outcome mirrors the party’s last shutdown fight, when Democrats demanded an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies but ultimately reopened the government without securing them, prompting frustration within their ranks.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nasa Worldview | Via Reuters The maritime passage has been almost completely shut by Iran since the war began in late February, effectively halting the shipping of Gulf oil and gas through the strait.—
Holly Ellyatt,Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
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In retaliation for a ground invasion, Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen could attack ships in the Red Sea, halting the flow of oil and cargo via a route that’s been used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese forces occupied the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon, concluding a three-decade conflict that had claimed more than three million lives.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
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Department hydrologists told The Associated Press of the dismal, record-low snowpack after concluding their field assessments late Tuesday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If this is the case, then cutting off the water supply to this waterfall — to fill a dam or for irrigation, which happens — could harm the fish.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
5 Apr. 2026
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Retail connections faded as foot traffic disappeared, cutting off communication with buyers.—
J.M. Banks
March 21,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Companies could also consider shutting off access to their technology for certain time frames, Rae suggests.—
Kristin Stoller,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
If someone becomes trapped by suction, shutting off the pump can release the pressure immediately.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20off. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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