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

The liver breaks cholesterol down through LDL receptors on the surface of liver cells, which means more LDL receptors means more cholesterol cleared from the blood. — Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 July 2026 Paramount will be hoping that Nandy makes a statement either today or Wednesday, given Parliament breaks for the summer on Thursday and will not return until September 1, although Parliament does not have to be sitting for a decision to be made. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 15 July 2026 The city is not expected to offer the developers breaks on sales tax for hotel room rentals. — Ilana Arougheti july 14, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026 First and foremost, breaks from the stress and toil of work are essential components of healing from burnout. — Dj Didonna, Time, 13 July 2026 Abby Wambach breaks a tense tie with a thunderous header in the 79th minute, and the United States earns its first trip to the Women’s World Cup final since winning it in 1999 with a 3-1 victory over France. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026 The phenomenon of crossing over, which breaks the linkage between genes on the same chromosome, facilitates the exchange of DNA. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 July 2026 The machine does the work and the human corrects it when something breaks. — Demetri Giannikopoulos, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026 This breaks the previous record high of 100 degrees set on July 4th, 1919. — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 5 July 2026

Noun

Soli said several heat safety measures are in place, including mandatory hydration breaks during games, additional hydration stations and medical staff on every field who will monitor conditions and shorten games by five to ten minutes a half. — Ubah Ali, CBS News, 14 July 2026 Even a handful of movement breaks is enough to make a real difference. — Angela Haupt, Time, 14 July 2026 Stories were told in chapters the length of an SMS message, meaning that in each installment, writers had about 70-100 words at their disposal and, critically, carte blanche on their arrangement (line breaks and ellipses did a lot of heavy lifting). — Literary Hub, 13 July 2026 But Gillon’s initial proposals for property tax breaks to help support redevelopment on the Plaza drew outcry last year from other taxing bodies like Kansas City Public Library and Kansas City Public Schools. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 13 July 2026 Without action, operations will cease, paychecks will stop and the start of the school year will be thrown into chaos just as families are ending their summer breaks. — Jennifer Custer, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026 That means obvious things, like medication, feeding, and potty breaks, but also details like favorite toys, spots to be scratched, and other small rituals your pet looks forward to every day. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026 As for interrupting the flow of play, Arena says the three-minute hydration breaks FIFA has introduced each half — ostensibly for player welfare, but in practice to give the TV networks additional commercial breaks — have been more disruptive. — Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026 Who knows where value is created, where delay enters, where risk accumulates, where customer experience breaks, where human judgment improves the outcome, and where human involvement simply reflects legacy process design? — Sanjay Srivastava, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks

Verb

Alcohol disrupts sleep, but drinking earlier may give your body more time to process it before bedtime, reducing its impact on sleep quality.

— Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 17 July 2026
What causes insomnia during perimenopause Perimenopause disrupts sleep through a combination of hormonal shifts that affect the body in overlapping ways.

— Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 July 2026

Definition of disrupts

Verb

Vehicle stops can be inherently fraught and unpredictable, with the person behind the wheel in control of thousands of pounds of steel that can pose great risk should a driver refuse to comply or simply panic and flee.

— Caroll Alvarado, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Additionally, one source said that ICE officers can conduct some vehicle stops during the pause but only in the presence of a local law enforcement officer trained to make vehicle stops that partners with ICE under the agency's 287(g) program.

— Luke Barr, ABC News, 14 July 2026

Definition of stops

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

The night shift manager, son of The Club’s property manager, pauses his online blackjack game to hand over a duplicate fob.

— Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
In effect, the executive order pauses state permitting for new large data centers and direct state regulators to create standards that address environmental impacts, energy demand, water usage and other factors, the governor’s office said.

— Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 14 July 2026

Definition of pauses

Verb

If the district violates these state laws, the property would return to state ownership.

— Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2026
Aysha Bagchi In a win for Republicans, the Supreme Court ruled that a federal law limiting how much political parties can spend in coordination with an election candidate violates the First Amendment, which establishes the right to free speech.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 July 2026

Definition of violates

Verb

The launch solves a real problem in the sustainability reporting world, which is fragmented requests and inconsistent methodologies.

— Arthur Zackiewicz, Footwear News, 14 July 2026
The new crossbar architecture solves that challenge by enabling two-dimensional pixel-level control while reducing unwanted electrical interference.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026

Definition of solves

Cite this Entry

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“Breaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of breaks

verb

noun

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