as in dumping
to end a usually intimate relationship with
sincerely wants to break off with him without hurting his feelings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking off (with)
Verb
-
Surveillance video captured just after 10 AM Sunday near Donn Eisele Park shows a woman carrying a box and dumping at least five kittens onto the ground.—
Chelsea Jones,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026 -
Within moments, icy water began crashing over the gunwale, causing the boat to flip like a toy — and dumping the three occupants into the dark, shockingly cold water.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Then about an hour prior to tipoff, he was deemed out, leaving the backup point guard duties mostly to rookie Sion James.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Already, the department is overburdened, leaving the responsibility for handling many attacks by wolves and other predators to local law enforcement, said David Bess, a retired chief of CDFW’s enforcement division.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The constant anxiety — about wind blowing off his hat or how his hair looked under certain lighting — was gone.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Generally, that’s when people are blowing off steam after a long day of conferencing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The rising style star shook up her glam in the ‘90s, ditching the colorful shade for more neutral tones.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
4 Apr. 2026
-
As the Census suggests, many are still turning to the post-graduate degree (but a growing number are also ditching college altogether).—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
4 Apr. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Breaking off (with).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20off%20%28with%29. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
