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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in dies
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in escapes
the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement
a desperate break from that hellhole
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of breaks
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Feb. 2026
The film considers the relationship between the media and politicians, and how savvy minds can spin news into something that makes or breaks the success of someone, no matter how dirty their hands are.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
Beginning with a thoughtfully layered lighting design is a rule Glueck never breaks.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Feb. 2026
Business reporter Francesca Pica breaks it down here.
—Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 18 Feb. 2026
The Aquarius solar eclipse breaks patterns to make room for expansion.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
This can lead to flash flooding in upstream areas within minutes, while areas downstream might see water levels drop suddenly until the jam breaks.
—Ahmad Bajjey, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
So even if this deal doesn’t turn into the contract that breaks baseball, it is at least guaranteed to be the contract that shakes baseball.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Greenson breaks into Monroe's bedroom and finds the 36-year-old movie star lying naked, lifeless, face down on her bed, still clutching the telephone receiver.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2026
Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2026
Fox quickly sold out its Daytona inventory, with more advertisers lining up to secure double-box breaks, the format that allows the network to present commercial messaging side-by-side with live racing.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Olympian who chose China over US breaks silence on backlash after Vance comments.
—FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
The finals are March 17, which is nine days before opening day and six days before camp breaks.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
Ramos’ defensive season was filled with bad breaks, poor decisions and strange routes.
—Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
John Merryman Redondo Beach As the NBA season breaks for All-Star weekend, there is one player who is single-handedly leading his fractured team to victory after victory, with his great scoring, passing and stout defense.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
When workers asked politicians in Miami-Dade County for a measure that would ensure basic protections like water and breaks, it was derailed by construction and agriculture lobbyists.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2026
What’s more, in athletes, typical signs of an eating disorder, such as training for long hours without appropriate breaks for meals or obsessing about only consuming certain healthy foods, can be overlooked due to the normalization of these behaviors in high-level sports.
—Emily Hemendinger, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
Rotation breaks internal barrier Internal gravity waves generated by churning motions in the outer envelope were already suspected to play a part.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Feb. 2026
The film considers the relationship between the media and politicians, and how savvy minds can spin news into something that makes or breaks the success of someone, no matter how dirty their hands are.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
Beginning with a thoughtfully layered lighting design is a rule Glueck never breaks.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Feb. 2026
Business reporter Francesca Pica breaks it down here.
—Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 18 Feb. 2026
The Aquarius solar eclipse breaks patterns to make room for expansion.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
This can lead to flash flooding in upstream areas within minutes, while areas downstream might see water levels drop suddenly until the jam breaks.
—Ahmad Bajjey, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
So even if this deal doesn’t turn into the contract that breaks baseball, it is at least guaranteed to be the contract that shakes baseball.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Greenson breaks into Monroe's bedroom and finds the 36-year-old movie star lying naked, lifeless, face down on her bed, still clutching the telephone receiver.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2026
Noun
In the Big Apple, water main breaks are a dime a dozen, especially during this time of year.
—Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2026
Fox quickly sold out its Daytona inventory, with more advertisers lining up to secure double-box breaks, the format that allows the network to present commercial messaging side-by-side with live racing.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Olympian who chose China over US breaks silence on backlash after Vance comments.
—FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
The finals are March 17, which is nine days before opening day and six days before camp breaks.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
Ramos’ defensive season was filled with bad breaks, poor decisions and strange routes.
—Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
John Merryman Redondo Beach As the NBA season breaks for All-Star weekend, there is one player who is single-handedly leading his fractured team to victory after victory, with his great scoring, passing and stout defense.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
When workers asked politicians in Miami-Dade County for a measure that would ensure basic protections like water and breaks, it was derailed by construction and agriculture lobbyists.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2026
What’s more, in athletes, typical signs of an eating disorder, such as training for long hours without appropriate breaks for meals or obsessing about only consuming certain healthy foods, can be overlooked due to the normalization of these behaviors in high-level sports.
—Emily Hemendinger, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks
Verb
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Storm fuels power outages and disrupts flights New York, Philadelphia and other cities, as well as several states, declared emergencies.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Feb. 2026
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Such environmental stress disrupts the roots' ability to absorb nutrients and can lead to transplant shock.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For this reason, Yuen added, humidifiers can be particularly helpful for people who have a cold, asthma, or obstructive sleep apnea, which is when breathing starts and stops during sleep due to airway obstruction.—
Brian Mastroianni,
Health,
23 Feb. 2026
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Additional stops to the itinerary are dropped and added at will.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This abundance reduces material costs and supply chain risks.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
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Removing whey from yogurt reduces the amount of carbs and sugar and concentrates more protein per ounce as a result.—
Kristen Gasnick,
Verywell Health,
19 Feb. 2026
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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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
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Ben Shelton pauses between serves as a ball kid retrieves a tennis ball during the singles finals of the Dallas Open men's tennis tournament which was held at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on February 15, 2026.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
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The receptionist responds gently, types swiftly, and then pauses.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Rhode Island Department of Transportation has roughly 500 state and vendor plows available, along with 60,000 tons of salt, and all roads have been thoroughly pretreated.—
Lynne Sullivan,
The Providence Journal,
22 Feb. 2026
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The South Shore community donned their colonial and Civil War attire and took to the streets alongside municipal snow plows to ring in the 49th annual Lincoln Day Saturday.—
Stuart Cahill,
Boston Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Announcing a voter’s party preference out loud violates that rule.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Feb. 2026
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But in January last year, the South African parliament approved a land Expropriation Act, which critics say violates that constitution.—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This Maison de Sabré bag charm also solves the problem of forgetting your AirTag at home, while adding a bit of style to your suitcase.—
Liz Provencher,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Feb. 2026
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The Bioré® Paint & Peel Pimple Patch solves this problem with its innovative formula that goes on like a liquid spot treatment and peels off like a pimple patch.—
Jessie Quinn,
StyleCaster,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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