breaks 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of break
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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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
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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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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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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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

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19
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
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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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
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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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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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 needle goes into the record, and the signal is continuous, and digital, of course, breaks it up into zeros and ones. — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026 Whichever way the debut breaks, the machines run on Nvidia's robot chips and train in Nvidia's simulators, so the intelligence layer collects on every outcome. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 If David Bowie's on the show, and something goes wrong—perhaps his coffee mug breaks accidentally because it was cracked—that's not a disaster. — Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026 The shoreline and break at Seabright Beach are relatively steep, with heavy surf that breaks close to shore, the state parks said. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026 Pop star breaks silence on white substance incident at World CupNeed a news break? — Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026 Deuce Bronson breaks a 38-yard run to get the Hornets near the 20-yard line. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026 So any fractal that contains uninterrupted lines breaks the fractal uncertainty principle. — Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026 This transfer breaks the current Rapids outbound transfer fee record by a large margin. — Spencer Baldwin, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2026
Noun
Fritz is a master rebuilder, but the Coogs caught some schedule breaks and won six one-possession games in 2025. — Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Trust breaks when leaders make bets that fail publicly, or announce cuts that are later reversed. — Susan Lamotte, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 Another argument favors sacrificing the long summer break for more frequent shorter breaks staggered throughout the school year. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Aug. 2026 If breaks develop in the clouds, even a few hours of clearing could provide a good viewing window. — Joe Ruch, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026 Warts, on the other hand, are caused by a virus that gets into the skin via cuts or breaks, and this virus turns into rough bumps on the skin—often on hands or the soles of the feet. — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 10 Aug. 2026 In some cases, the breaks interrupted the flow of the game just as a team was starting to take control. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026 But, Alexanian says, policymakers also worry about overregulation slamming the breaks on useful research. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026 Its fast 120-hertz refresh rate and 1ms response time eliminate motion blur and ghosting during study breaks or casual gaming, while Adaptive-Sync support ensures tear-free visuals. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks
  1. disrupts
  2. stops
  3. reduces
  4. deciphers
  5. pauses
  6. plows
  7. violates
  8. solves
Verb
  • Change disrupts the status quo, and employees often resist change activities to preserve stability.
    — John Radman, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • In Egypt, for example, steep hikes in fuel and food prices and enormous losses of Suez Canal revenues as the war disrupts global shipping are compounding existing fiscal and unemployment crises.
    — MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of disrupts
Verb
  • These memorable rail journeys - one in Canada, two in the United States - offer up incredible panroamas, city stops, mountains and forests, traversing long distances across the continent.
    — Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • This stops the pathologic transmission of electrical activity causing tremors or other symptoms.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of stops
Verb
  • Bright colors pop across the entire massive IPS panel, even at different viewing angles, and a zippy 100Hz refresh rate reduces lag and keeps everything on-screen smooth.
    — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Swimming also reduces stress as rhythmic breathing and movement trigger the release of brain chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine, which produce a sense of euphoria and well-being.
    — Michael McColly, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 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
  • The decision essentially pauses a preliminary injunction that granted a fifth season for the upcoming 2026-27 college season and represents a significant legal victory for the NCAA.
    — Justin Williams, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Five years after Mercedes’ winning streak was interrupted, Wolff pauses when describing his feelings about its comeback.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of pauses
Verb
  • 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
  • Meteor showers tend to put on dazzling celestial shows and happen at predictable times every year when the Earth plows through trails of debris left behind by comets and, sometimes, asteroids.
    — Adithi Ramakrishnan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of plows
Verb
  • The reforms would also tie an executive’s overall pay to safety metrics and impose shareholder penalties of up to $10 million per violation if a company violates safety rules.
    — Linh Tat, Daily News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The lawsuit argued in part that the plan violates the First Amendment, which courts have historically held protects the right to receive information.
    — BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of violates
Verb
  • Offering space as a service solves this problem and allows small businesses to put their products in front of customers in a physical space.
    — Catherine Erdly, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • But once the team solves those problems, deployment could be nearly anywhere with bodies of water.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of solves

Browse Nearby Words

break out (with)
breaks
breaks bread
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Cite this Entry

“Breaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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