Synonyms of breaks
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as in disrupts 
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as in stops
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as in reduces
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as in deciphers
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as in pauses
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as in plows
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as in violates
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as in solves
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as in damages
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as in dies
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as in retreats
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as in wears
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as in circulates
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as in bankrupts
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as in begins
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as in veers
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as in lowers
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as in exceeds
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as in surfaces
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as in lulls
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as in vacations
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as in gaps
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as in opportunities
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as in accidents
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as in escapes
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Example Sentences
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Entries Near
1
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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Relevance
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2
as in stops
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
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3
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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4
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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5
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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6
7
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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8
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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9
as in damages
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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10
as in dies
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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11
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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12
as in wears
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
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13
as in circulates
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
14
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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15
as in begins
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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16
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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17
as in lowers
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
18
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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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3
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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4
5
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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6
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of breaks
Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
When a bona fide literary scandal breaks late on, Baum is certain that people will come to hear of it in a couple of days, via the newspapers and tabloids.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
One of the most popular is the Save the Cat method by Jessica Brody, which breaks your story into fifteen essential plot points that create a compelling narrative arc.
—Jennifer Sodini, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Grab this deal before the connection breaks.
—PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2025
This breaks the mirror symmetry, and the weak force is the only force to do it.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
That’s a figure that breaks the previous record for most units in a week by more than a half-million.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
When Ron takes a seat, the chair falls out from under him and breaks, leaving him dazed and sprawled on the floor.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2025
Colonial seizure breaks the reciprocal relationship between people and the land, converting it to a relationship governed by extraction.
—JSTOR Daily, 11 Oct. 2025
Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Surf enthusiasts can ride one of Indonesia's most famous waves, Occy’s Left, or book surf excursions that take them to multiple breaks.
—Katie Lockhart, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2025
The early months of a season can be challenging for managers due to the seemingly endless international breaks, but the stop-start nature of the fixture list can have its advantages.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Theoretically, that entitled him to extra time on tests and deadlines, as well as breaks throughout the school day.
—Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Multiple water main breaks have caused issues for hundreds of residents after severe storms swept through the area this past weekend, and not long after, deadly flooding brought on a state of emergency declaration.
—Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 16 Oct. 2025
The shift in monetization also means that many creators have to break away from old strategies of posting longer videos that allow for more ad breaks to focus on shorter videos that hold users’ attention.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Reading poetry out loud also requires us to pause for punctuation or line breaks, increasing our parasympathetic tone and dampening our hyperactive sympathetic nervous system.
—K.j.s. “sunny” Anand, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
Many of us are guilty of overbooking our calendars and scrolling through our phones while taking breaks from work.
—Megan Sauer, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
And when the movie’s love interest Elizabeth, played by Mia Goth, goes so far as to find the creature attractive — jealousy is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
When a bona fide literary scandal breaks late on, Baum is certain that people will come to hear of it in a couple of days, via the newspapers and tabloids.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
One of the most popular is the Save the Cat method by Jessica Brody, which breaks your story into fifteen essential plot points that create a compelling narrative arc.
—Jennifer Sodini, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Grab this deal before the connection breaks.
—PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2025
This breaks the mirror symmetry, and the weak force is the only force to do it.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
That’s a figure that breaks the previous record for most units in a week by more than a half-million.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
When Ron takes a seat, the chair falls out from under him and breaks, leaving him dazed and sprawled on the floor.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2025
Colonial seizure breaks the reciprocal relationship between people and the land, converting it to a relationship governed by extraction.
—JSTOR Daily, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
The rest of the population should reduce long or intense activities, and take more breaks during outdoor activities, according to the agency.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Surf enthusiasts can ride one of Indonesia's most famous waves, Occy’s Left, or book surf excursions that take them to multiple breaks.
—Katie Lockhart, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2025
The early months of a season can be challenging for managers due to the seemingly endless international breaks, but the stop-start nature of the fixture list can have its advantages.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Theoretically, that entitled him to extra time on tests and deadlines, as well as breaks throughout the school day.
—Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Multiple water main breaks have caused issues for hundreds of residents after severe storms swept through the area this past weekend, and not long after, deadly flooding brought on a state of emergency declaration.
—Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 16 Oct. 2025
The shift in monetization also means that many creators have to break away from old strategies of posting longer videos that allow for more ad breaks to focus on shorter videos that hold users’ attention.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Reading poetry out loud also requires us to pause for punctuation or line breaks, increasing our parasympathetic tone and dampening our hyperactive sympathetic nervous system.
—K.j.s. “sunny” Anand, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
Many of us are guilty of overbooking our calendars and scrolling through our phones while taking breaks from work.
—Megan Sauer, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks
Verb
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My success — scholarships, businesses, properties — disrupts both narratives.—
Sofía Pereda,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
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Pairing incompatible flavors disrupts the harmony of the charcuterie creation.—
Catharine Kaufman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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So grab a plate, settle in, and let these films take you back to the yard—where the music never stops, the bonds run deep, and every Homecoming feels like family coming home again.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
16 Oct. 2025
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More than 750,000 federal workers have been furloughed, which stops them from reporting to work.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kombucha is a fermented tea that contains some sugar, but fermentation reduces how much your body actually absorbs.—
Sarah Garone,
Health,
18 Oct. 2025
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People who were gestating during the famine grew up to have smaller brains; their kidneys had fewer nephrons, which reduces the organs’ effectiveness.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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My body no longer deciphers its signals correctly.—
Alaa Alqaisi
August 13,
Literary Hub,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Several times a day, the incessant din of diesel engines pauses while the mats are delicately removed and placed in outsize tubs for washing.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
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Lupe opens the car door and pauses.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At the same time, Skattebo, the battering ram personified, pushes and plows through defenders, injecting energy into the Giants and their fans.—
Charlotte Carroll,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Introduced as a stereotypical shrewish wife, Yeom plows past any pat characterizations with an energetic, passionate performance, one which requires a surprising degree of physicality.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Their lawyers argue that the removal of the books violates federal and state free speech protections.—
Ann Schimke,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
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The program violates not only the First Amendment but also the Administrative Procedure Act, a federal law about how agencies are allowed to operate, the lawsuit argues.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tune in for short episodes every Wednesday and Saturday as Grumpy answers reader questions, solves seasonal conundrums, and provides need-to-know advice for gardeners with his very Grumpy sense of humor.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
15 Oct. 2025
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New metal alloy solves previous issues Metallic high-heat-resistant materials are essential for aircraft engines, gas turbines, and X-ray units.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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