BREAKS Synonyms: 709 Similar and Opposite Words

breaks 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of break

as in disrupts

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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as in stops

to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end the final vote broke the deadlock

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as in reduces

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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as in deciphers

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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as in pauses

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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as in plows

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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as in violates

to fail to keep had to confess that he had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone

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as in solves

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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as in damages

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of I broke a tooth on the hard candy

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as in dies

to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

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starts (up)

as in retreats

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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as in wears

to use up all the physical energy of the trek up the mountain just about broke me

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as in circulates

to become known as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country

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as in bankrupts

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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as in begins

to come into existence the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking

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as in veers

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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straightens

as in lowers

to diminish the price or value of distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks

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as in exceeds

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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as in surfaces

to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below dolphins were breaking all around the boat

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breaks

2 of 2

noun

plural of break

as in lulls

a momentary halt in an activity there was a brief break after the first movement as the doors to the concert hall were opened and the latecomers were allowed in

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as in vacations

a period during which the usual routine of school or work is suspended most of the students at the boarding school are going home for Christmas break

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as in gaps

an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge) the rancher repaired the break in the fence where the horse had gotten through

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as in opportunities

a favorable combination of circumstances, time, and place in classic fashion, her big break came when, as an understudy, she took over for an ailing star

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as in accidents

an unexpected benefit or advantage resulting from the uncertain course of events a guy who just seems to get all the breaks in life

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as in escapes

the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement a desperate break from that hellhole

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of breaks

Verb

Boise proper is reliably blue, and the rest of the county typically breaks red. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 4 Nov. 2026 Her victory ends Patrick's 12-year tenure in the position and breaks the Republican Party's decades-long control of one of the most powerful offices in Texas government. — Digital Producer, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026 Emmitt Smith breaks the NFL career rushing yardage record held by the late Walter Payton on an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026 Back at The Pynk, Uncle Clifford (Nicco Annan) dreams of expanding her empire while Roulette breaks the club’s cardinal rule to build hers. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026 Managing Routine Processes From Memory One practice that breaks is running on memory. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Tommy breaks them out by using Vision as a battering ram, but Paladin is waiting outside to blast Vision with a shotgun full of adamantium rounds. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026 Samsara Eco develops enzymatic recycling technology that breaks polyester and nylon 6,6 into monomers, which can then be used to make new polymers. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026 What happens if something breaks while the truck is moving at highway speed? — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Noun

Do them in a circuit format, alternating exercises with breaks. — Laura Solla, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026 There are a host of new workplace laws covering hiring, pay, employee breaks, construction wages, service workers, and other employment issues. — Steven M. Frederick, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2026 The carriage horses get spooked by the storm, and a wheel breaks. — Alice Burton, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2026 Anchors and producers prepare in case major news breaks that is not tied to the election. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026 Small tears on plant stems and branches can turn into much larger breaks during winter. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 2 Nov. 2026 But its dusky cloud belts and Red Spot can be seen more clearly when the planet is highest in the southeast soon after dawn breaks. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 1 Nov. 2026 Earlier this month, Minnesota Vikings fans who’d settled in for the team’s matchup with the Miami Dolphins were surprised to see a Paxton ad show up during one of the in-game breaks. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2026 When a test breaks on cosmetic changes more than on real regressions, delete it and regenerate it. — Mudit Singh, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks

Verb

In addition, under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, anyone who disrupts a nest of migratory birds — which barn owls are — can face fines and jail time.

— Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026
Pretrial jailing disrupts families, destabilizes communities and increases the likelihood of recidivism, all of which clearly compromise — rather than protect — public safety.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of disrupts

Verb

This reduces the computing work required to serve identical repository data repeatedly.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
The iron in lentils can help maintain healthy energy levels by being a component of hemoglobin in red blood cells, which delivers oxygen throughout the body and reduces fatigue.

— Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of reduces

Verb

Qualcomm’s chip can run Linux, along with Arduino software, and can even do computer vision, which deciphers what a camera sees and translates it into software.

— Kif Leswing, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
With that base knowledge and his opponent’s game tape, Nolan analyzes wide receiver alignments and deciphers the offense's attack.

— Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 18 Sep. 2025

Definition of deciphers

Verb

On this day every year since, the community pauses to reflect and remember.

— Mamie Bah, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
The new spending comes as the group pauses ads in Georgia and North Carolina, states where Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Roy Cooper are favored to win.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of pauses

Verb

As Earth plows through the debris streams, tiny particles slam into our atmosphere at 65,000 miles per hour (104,607 kilometers per hour), producing dazzling streaks of light across the night sky.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2026
KaVontae Turpin makes a defender miss in the open field on third down, picks up the first, and Williams plows it in for the TD.

— Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of plows

Verb

In addition to the First Amendment, TikTok, Meta and Google argue that the law violates Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which shields tech companies from liability for material posted on their sites by third parties.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
In September, Numme sued her landlord, alleging that the elimination of her parking violates California’s fair housing and disability laws, as well as city tenant anti-harassment laws.

— Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026