breaks 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of break
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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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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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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 dies
to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

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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 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
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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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4
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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6

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
What breaks my heart is that Vermax’s cries sounded like a dog crying, a dog dying. Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 22 June 2026 The Ocean's Eleven actor brought up his first encounter with Elliott while the cast was discussing who breaks character the most while filming Landman. Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 21 June 2026 Or a body breaks the surface of a swimming pool? The Week Uk, TheWeek, 20 June 2026 Under that scenario, if no candidate breaks 50% of the popular vote, the bottom finisher is eliminated, and voters’ second choices come into play. ABC News, 19 June 2026 Inference breaks this structurally. Vasu Raj Jain, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 Kate Ziegler breaks swimming’s oldest world record, shattering the 1,500-meter freestyle mark by 9 1/2 seconds at the TYR Meet of Champions Mission Viejo. Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026 Zillow found the typical buyer now breaks even versus renting after about six years, down from more than eight in late 2023. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 June 2026 Who is responsible when a robot breaks something or injures someone? Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
Noun
Since launching his menswear brand in 2015, the Mexican American designer casts the same key models repeatedly, such as Shaid Anaya, who takes breaks from his regular job as a construction workers to walk his shows. Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 27 June 2026 When news breaks of an Ebola case almost anywhere in the world, the public reaction is remarkably predictable. Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 26 June 2026 The initial draft will be followed by a period of time, perhaps a few months, during which there will be some adjustments, primarily related to line or section breaks. Literary Hub, 26 June 2026 Speed without structure breaks businesses. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 As the weather breaks, many of Michigan's state parks are opening for the summer camping season, and Amazon Prime Day is one of the best times to take inventory of your outdoor gear and make some upgrades — and even in the final stretch of the sale, there are still plenty of deals worth grabbing. Kasey Caminiti, Freep.com, 26 June 2026 Mandatory three-minute breaks, introduced in the 22nd and 67th minutes of every match at the tournament, have drawn criticism from players, coaches and fans since the opening round of fixtures. Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 25 June 2026 An X-ray taken after Tuesday’s game showed no fractures or breaks, and Kotsay said at the time the injury wouldn’t require stitches. Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2026 Believe it or not, some scientists say hydration breaks should be longer. Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 20 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks
Verb
  • Each surgery disrupts blood supply to the skin and lays down a new layer of scar tissue, meaning the risks compound with every procedure.
    Victoria Oliva, Allure, 23 June 2026
  • Xenotransplantation disrupts this trajectory.
    Torie Bosch, STAT, 20 June 2026
Verb
  • Burke won the Stanley Cup as Anaheim’s general manager in 2007, one of several front-office stops for him, along with time spent as the NHL’s director of hockey operations.
    Stephen Whyno, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
  • The nose stops registering any single note and the room just smells busy.
    Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 June 2026
Verb
  • Soluble fiber reduces cholesterol levels by blocking its absorption in the digestive tract and promoting its excretion from the body.
    Jillian Kubala, Health, 25 June 2026
  • Its 58-degree vertical design reduces wrist strain, while advanced features boost productivity.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
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
Verb
  • These pauses in data center permitting and construction give communities time to consider how to define new laws and regulations about the facilities’ location, electricity use, water conservation and noise buffering.
    Rachel Mural, Fortune, 21 June 2026
  • Setting the factory ablaze and escaping, Naim pauses for a minute when the Ryan-like monster appears at a window, begging to be released and claiming to be the human-being.
    Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • The conservative Pacific Research Institute plows the same economic ground in a report.
    Dan Walters, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Each April, Earth plows through its dusty trail — tiny grains burning up in the atmosphere at around 30 miles per second.
    Jamie Carter, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Filing a false immigration claim violates anti-fraud statues, according to DHS General Counsel James Percival, and those who file them should be held accountable, according to a memo from Percival and reviewed by ABC News.
    Luke Barr, ABC News, 23 June 2026
  • In 2022, a federal judge ruled that the state law violates Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act.
    Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 22 June 2026
Verb
  • That solves the access problem and but creates other dependencies and different costs.
    Paul Baier, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
  • This is a chaos mock draft, and 2) Peterson solves a potential problem for the Jazz.
    Zach Harper, New York Times, 21 June 2026

Cite this Entry

“Breaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.

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