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
Now, though, some branches are breaking off.
—
Ann Manov,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
In November 1987, after breaking off her engagement with Estevez, Moore married Bruce in Las Vegas.
—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
21 June 2026
Work is continuing to try to stabilize the Pacifica Municipal Pier, which began cracking at its base on June 4 and is now in danger of breaking off and falling into the water.
—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
That trail of vaporizing particles breaking off the asteroid causes a bright streak of light across the sky called a meteor, or colloquially a shooting star.
—
Adam Lark,
The Conversation,
16 June 2026
Among efforts—three engagements to women that ended up breaking off.
—
Cathy Applefeld Olson,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Honduras established diplomatic ties with China in 2023 after breaking off relations with Taiwan.
—
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Filed by First Nations groups in Alberta, the lawsuit argues that the province breaking off from Canada would violate treaty rights.
—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
5 May 2026
Morejón is throwing harder than ever and still breaking off some dastardly breaking pitches and throwing an increasingly wicked changeup.
—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
Ann Manov,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
In November 1987, after breaking off her engagement with Estevez, Moore married Bruce in Las Vegas.
—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
21 June 2026
Work is continuing to try to stabilize the Pacifica Municipal Pier, which began cracking at its base on June 4 and is now in danger of breaking off and falling into the water.
—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
That trail of vaporizing particles breaking off the asteroid causes a bright streak of light across the sky called a meteor, or colloquially a shooting star.
—
Adam Lark,
The Conversation,
16 June 2026
Among efforts—three engagements to women that ended up breaking off.
—
Cathy Applefeld Olson,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Honduras established diplomatic ties with China in 2023 after breaking off relations with Taiwan.
—
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Filed by First Nations groups in Alberta, the lawsuit argues that the province breaking off from Canada would violate treaty rights.
—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
5 May 2026
Morejón is throwing harder than ever and still breaking off some dastardly breaking pitches and throwing an increasingly wicked changeup.
—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking off
Verb
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And a whistle was called for offside, ending the counterattack.
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But that era is ending because memory is becoming the bottleneck.
Verb
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And the heat’s not stopping anytime soon.
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Video shows how chase led to deadly crash Instead of stopping, the purple car accelerated and sped through a red light, according to video from Joel’s dashboard camera.
Verb
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Kraken, one of the oldest crypto exchanges in the global industry, is ceasing on World Cup fever and drawing parallels between soccer fans and ‘hodlers’ in their promotions.
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While this weekend was about celebration, the recent announcement that another USL SL club, the Spokane Zephyr, is ceasing operations after just two seasons, put the overall plans for the league’s growth in question.
Verb
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The question is whether to splurge now, when there isn’t much available, or to wait for star players’ legacy deals to start expiring.
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The biggest trade of the session so far was a sale of 300 of the 13-strike puts expiring in January 2028 that brought in $327,000.
Verb
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It was also reworded to clarify Apollo is not halting all redemption requests.
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Cut to Johnson attempting an overhead serve with his pickleball partner Candace (Mary Steenburgen) halting him mid leap and correcting his serve to underhand.
Verb
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The 26-date trek kicked off tonight in Minnesota, and currently has stops planned for New York City’s Madison Square Garden and Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome before concluding at Austin’s Moody Center on August 14.
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India and the United States forged ahead in their months-long discussions about an interim trade agreement this week, with United States Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer concluding a two-day trip to New Delhi on Wednesday.
Verb
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According to the Wall Street Journal, the export control directive that led to Anthropic cutting off access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 was triggered in part by cybersecurity research from Amazon and conversations between CEO Andy Jassy and the White House.
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It’s told from the perspective of a man who, ten years after cutting off his parents, reflects on their lives and on his upbringing.
Verb
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This new round of chaos only feeds the anxiety that has enveloped the California Democratic Party for months, stirred by fears that the lack of a singular party front-runner might lead to two Republicans winding up on the November ballot.
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Newsom is winding up eight years as governor with a mixed record at best.
Cite this Entry
“Breaking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20off. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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