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

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 That's a slightly different approach from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which breaks that broad area into two regions. — CBS News, 13 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 That rhythm breaks when Santosh, her lover and a fellow migrant worker, is killed in a truck accident while on duty in his booth. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Noun

The Dodgers in 2024 and 2025 had plenty of breaks, as did the Rangers in 2023 and Astros in 2022. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026 For people taking long trips in a car or plane, it is recommended to take frequent movement breaks, stay hydrated and even use compression socks. — Ali Ataya, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026 The dispute includes allegations that workers at the museum’s newest location, V&A East Storehouse, had fainted due to insufficient hydration breaks. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Around five or six different sets surround the entire crew, who swivel and reposition between four-minute ad breaks (which are punctuated by some brilliant live jazz music to keep the crowd alive). — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2026 Throughout history, some were commissioned to enhance the interiors with their signature flair while others bartered their artwork for breaks on daily rates and others simply just thrived off the scene. — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026 Staff who work at harm reduction clinics set up specifically to help men who use steroids tell me that twenty years ago there were fewer users, and those users took longer breaks between cycles at lower doses. — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026 Singhal also recommends getting adequate sleep, limiting screen time, turning off unnecessary notifications, and taking regular breaks. — Kriti Kumar, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026 Beyond the breaks stood forests of giant kelp, each capable of growing as much as 50 centimeters a day. — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks

Verb

Courts have also recognized circumstances in which educational institutions may restrict student speech that materially and substantially disrupts their operations.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
Introducing conscious thoughts actually disrupts this flow and slows down the process.

— Jesse Granger, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of disrupts

Verb

The New Braunfels, Texas, resident kept a frenetic touring schedule, headlining major Texas venues and mid-sized dance halls around the country, with occasional arena or amphitheater stops opening for Koe Wetzel thrown in.

— Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2026
Nighttime mouth breathing is associated with snoring, dry mouth, receding gums and sleep apnea, a disorder in which breathing stops repeatedly during sleep.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of stops

Verb

The anti-immigrant movement reduces kids to constitutional hypotheticals and demographic statistics.

— Hannah Harshe, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026
That gives Jaylen Warren a favorable matchup and reduces the need for Aaron Rodgers to force throws downfield.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 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

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
Every year, our planet plows through this stream of cometary material, causing tiny fragments — many no larger than a grain of sand — to slam into Earth's atmosphere at around 133,000 mph (214,000 km/h).

— Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of plows

Verb

Among them, Carter found that the request violates federal law precluding altering of election rules on the eve of an election.

— Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
The lawsuit argues the change violates the Administrative Procedure Act because it was adopted without explanation and the First Amendment, which protects lawyers' ability to advise people of their legal rights and seek prospective clients.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of violates

Verb

But Rodrigues believes technology can augment traditional teaching methods by examining how a student solves an algebra problem or structures a piece of writing and identifying learning gaps.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
Schrodinger’s manuscript also solves the problem that arises after the first measurement, where the distribution changes.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026