Synonyms of breaks

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disrupts
• fractures
• fragments
• destroys
• disintegrates
• splits
• shatters
• reduces
• smashes
• breaks up
• ruins
• bursts
• dismembers
• explodes
• pops
• rives
• blasts
• chips
• cracks
• crushes
• wrecks
• grinds
• detonates
• busts
• pulverizes
• shivers
• atomizes
• powders
• blows up
• implodes
• splinters
• slivers

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• repairs
• heals
• fixes
• rebuilds
• doctors
• reconstructs
• mends
• renovates
• patches
• reconditions

2

as in stops

to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end

the final vote broke the deadlock

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stops
• ceases
• ends
• halts
• quits
• breaks off
• suspends
• drops
• delays
• concludes
• lays off
• cuts off
• shuts off
• discontinues
• finishes
• breaks up
• leaves off
• cuts out
• gives over
• knocks off
• packs (up or in)
• has done with
• checks
• desists (from)
• completes
• pauses
• blocks
• cans
• stays
• puts the kibosh on
• closes (down)
• hinders
• holds
• destroys
• stems
• impedes
• obstructs
• suppresses
• deactivates
• ruins
• dissolves
• holds back
• detains
• squelches
• aborts
• turns back
• brakes
• calls
• scuttles
• kills
• abolishes
• blockades
• arrests
• demolishes
• squashes
• reins (in)
• stamps
• clamps down
• stunts
• dams
• snuffs
• annuls
• kiboshes
• stanches

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continues
• runs on
• carries on
• progresses
• proceeds
• advances
• drives
• keeps up
• stirs
• follows through (with)
• impels
• propels
• actuates

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reduces
• demotes
• degrades
• dismisses
• downgrades
• lays off
• busts
• disrates
• sacks
• downsizes
• fires
• humiliates
• humbles
• cans
• debases
• demeans
• lowers
• abases
• cashiers

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• advances
• raises
• promotes
• elevates
• hires

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deciphers
• cracks
• translates
• decrypts
• decodes
• solves
• unravels
• renders
• descrambles
• figures out
• unscrambles
• works out
• works
• puzzles (out)
• unriddles
• dopes (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• codes
• encodes
• encrypts
• enciphers
• mixes (up)
• ciphers
• garbles
• jumbles (up)

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pauses
• hesitates
• interrupts
• stops
• holds one's horses
• catches one's breath
• breaks in
• ends
• finishes
• ceases
• lays off
• lapses
• terminates
• discontinues
• knocks off
• quits
• lets up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continues
• persists
• advances
• progresses
• extends
• stretches
• prolongs

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plows
• rakes
• furrows
• cultivates
• tills
• fallows
• harrows
• lists
• rototills
• hoes

7

as in violates

to fail to keep

had to confess that he had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violates
• breaches
• transgresses
• fractures
• contravenes
• offends
• infringes (on or upon)
• ignores
• disobeys
• disregards
• traduces
• rebels
• neglects
• resists
• flouts
• blows off
• passes over
• scorns
• withstands
• dismisses
• brushes (off)
• defies
• shrugs off
• winks (at)
• tunes out
• overlooks
• pooh-poohs
• slights
• overpasses

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• follows
• obeys
• observes
• conforms (to)
• minds
• complies (with)
• serves
• yields (to)
• submits (to)
• notices
• hears
• marks
• notes
• surrenders (to)
• attends
• watches
• defers (to)
• listens (to)
• regards
• heeds

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• solves
• unravels
• resolves
• answers
• cracks
• figures out
• works out
• works
• deciphers
• riddles (out)
• puzzles (out)
• decides
• concludes
• unriddles
• deduces
• infers
• dopes (out)
• gathers
• reasons
• unties
• straightens (out)
• clears (up)
• presumes
• judges
• speculates
• assumes
• irons out
• guesses
• divines
• decodes
• untangles
• unscrambles
• conjectures

9

as in damages

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of

I broke a tooth on the hard candy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• damages
• injures
• mars
• weakens
• hurts
• compromises
• erodes
• cripples
• impairs
• harms
• spoils
• destroys
• flaws
• disfigures
• crosses (up)
• undermines
• bloodies
• defaces
• vitiates
• shatters
• blemishes
• deteriorates
• crabs
• ruins
• wounds
• endamages
• wears (away)
• scours
• demolishes
• tarnishes
• smashes
• enfeebles
• batters
• wrecks
• enervates
• blights
• botches
• dents
• tortures
• lacerates
• washes out
• disables
• wipes out
• devastates
• mutilates
• dings
• maims
• pulverizes
• decimates
• torments
• mangles
• annihilates
• clobbers
• bashes
• wastes
• razes
• tears down
• lames
• dints
• desolates
• gums (up)
• hamstrings
• crushes
• queers
• totals
• scourges
• bangs up
• dashes
• does in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• repairs
• rebuilds
• fixes
• reconstructs
• doctors
• mends
• helps
• renovates
• heals
• reconditions
• patches
• revamps
• cures
• rectifies
• rehabilitates
• remedies
• revises
• improves
• edits
• enhances
• enriches
• remodels
• refines
• perfects
• ameliorates
• betters
• meliorates

10

as in dies

to stop functioning

after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dies
• fails
• crashes
• stalls
• gives out
• cuts out
• breaks down
• wheezes
• fizzles
• sputters
• conks (out)
• jams
• malfunctions
• acts up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• starts (up)

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• retreats
• flees
• flies
• escapes
• runs
• bolts
• runs away
• runs off
• beats a retreat
• beats it
• turns tail
• hightails (it)
• makes tracks
• skedaddles
• bugs out
• skips (out)
• absconds
• gets (away)
• gets out
• elopes
• makes off
• decamps
• clears out
• lams
• lights out
• scrams
• scats
• skirrs
• scarpers
• mizzles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confronts
• defies
• dares
• faces
• remains
• stays
• dwells
• lingers
• braves
• hangs around
• abides
• beards
• sticks around
• tarries

12

as in wears

to use up all the physical energy of

the trek up the mountain just about broke me

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wears
• kills
• exhausts
• drains
• tires
• burns out
• harasses
• wearies
• knocks out
• wears out
• busts
• fatigues
• wastes
• outwears
• weakens
• washes out
• frazzles
• tuckers (out)
• saps
• fags
• wears to a frazzle
• does in
• debilitates
• does up
• enfeebles
• enervates

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• activates
• strengthens
• energizes
• rests
• relaxes
• invigorates
• rejuvenates
• vitalizes
• unwinds

13

as in circulates

to become known

as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

• circulates
• spreads
• leaks (out)
• outs
• reveals
• comes out
• gets out
• unfolds
• gets about
• gets around
• gets round
• tells
• transpires
• spills
• develops
• discloses

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suppresses
• hides
• masks
• conceals
• disguises
• hushes (up)
• secretes

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bankrupts
• ruins
• reduces
• busts
• impoverishes
• wipes out
• cleans (out)
• beggars
• pauperizes
• straitens

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enriches
• richens

15

as in begins

to come into existence

the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking

Synonyms & Similar Words

• begins
• originates
• starts
• commences
• arises
• appears
• is
• emerges
• arrives
• springs
• forms
• exists
• sets in
• engenders
• dawns
• lives
• lasts
• actualizes
• materializes
• breathes
• continues
• survives
• comes on
• subsists
• persists
• shapes (up)
• endures
• coalesces
• coheres

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stops
• ends
• ceases
• concludes
• finishes
• terminates
• disappears
• halts
• quits
• dissolves
• vanishes
• dies
• evaporates
• expires
• discontinues
• departs
• desists
• perishes
• passes away

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• veers
• cuts
• turns
• wanders
• curves
• swerves
• circles
• bows
• sweeps
• bends
• weaves
• arches
• zags
• zigs
• curls
• sheers
• skews
• yaws
• pivots
• loops
• rounds
• arcs
• twists
• spirals
• winds
• wheels
• coils
• hooks
• deviates
• slews
• crooks
• zigzags
• wavers
• strays
• about-faces

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straightens

17

as in lowers

to diminish the price or value of

distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reduces
• lowers
• depresses
• attenuates
• shrinks
• sinks
• devalues
• devaluates
• downgrades
• writes off
• marks down
• depreciates
• writes down
• cheapens
• compresses
• debases
• demonetizes
• underestimates
• downsizes
• dwindles
• undervalues
• deflates
• contracts
• lessens
• moderates
• underprices
• underrates
• abridges
• de-escalates

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enhances
• appreciates
• upgrades
• inflates
• blows up
• increases
• adds
• extends
• expands
• marks up
• raises
• swells
• ups
• maximizes
• bloats
• augments
• overestimates
• boosts
• enlarges
• amplifies
• heightens
• escalates
• dilates
• multiplies
• compounds
• overvalues
• overrates
• aggrandizes
• overprices
• balloons

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

• exceeds
• surpasses
• outruns
• transcends
• overshoots
• oversteps
• invades
• overreaches
• outreaches
• encroaches
• overruns
• entrenches
• trespasses
• overpasses
• infringes
• overuses
• overdoes
• overworks
• overutilizes

19

as in surfaces

to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below

dolphins were breaking all around the boat

Synonyms & Similar Words

• surfaces
• emerges
• rises
• broaches

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• drops
• plunges
• sinks
• drowns
• dives
• founders
• submerges
• submerses

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pauses
• lulls
• interruptions
• breaths
• rests
• breathers
• recesses
• intervals
• respites
• interludes
• intermissions
• stoppages
• suspensions
• time-outs
• downtimes
• hitches
• interims
• cessations
• discontinuances
• lapses
• gaps
• hiatuses
• endings
• discontinuities
• terminations
• moratoriums
• expirations
• abeyances
• surceases

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• progresses
• continuations
• progressions
• extensions
• persistences
• endurances
• prolongations

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

• vacations
• holidays
• leaves
• hols
• recesses
• relaxations
• rests
• breathers
• sabbaticals
• intervals
• liberties
• respites
• furloughs
• intermissions
• legal holidays
• feasts
• holy days
• interims

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gaps
• holes
• crevices
• cracks
• intervals
• rents
• voids
• breaches
• openings
• rifts
• discontinuities
• fissures
• interstices
• separations
• hiatuses
• splits
• slits
• slots
• clefts
• fractures
• gulfs
• crannies
• cavities
• pores
• ruptures
• notches
• chinks
• apertures
• chasms
• interspaces
• orifices
• gapes
• abysses
• severances

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• opportunities
• chances
• room
• openings
• occasions
• shots
• plays
• passes
• ways
• junctures

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

• accidents
• strikes
• flukes
• strokes of luck
• chances
• luck
• hazards
• circumstances
• haps
• happenstances
• happenchances

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

• escapes
• flights
• routs
• getaways
• slips
• breakouts
• lams
• rescues
• bunks
• liberations
• releases
• redemptions
• close calls
• salvations
• jailbreaks
• deliverances
• close shaves
• near misses

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confinements
• imprisonments
• incarcerations
• captivities
• holds
• holdings
• internments
• detentions
• custodies
• troubles
• risks
• immurements
• hazards
• perils
• jeopardies
• retentions
• imperilments
• endangerments

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of breaks

Verb

Nolan’s movie reckons with how Odysseus (Matt Damon) breaks Zeus’ law by coming up with the plan for the Trojan Horse and executing it in an attempt to sack the city of Troy through a deception. — Zack Sharf, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026

This piece breaks the AI competition into layers, energy, chips, models, cloud, applications, and physical AI, and finds China ahead in some, behind in others, and closing gaps faster than expected. — Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

The spell breaks the multiverse, allowing in different characters from movies past like Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and Electro (Jamie Foxx). — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026

Paul Hope of Consumer Reports breaks the category into three main styles. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026

The president breaks news on Truth Social so often that the White House press office will copy his posts into an email when responding to questions from the media seeking details on policies. — Bernard Condon, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026

From the very first confessional in episode one, Schroeder breaks the fourth wall by stopping mid-interview to have a conversation with the producers about which footage to show. — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 28 July 2026

If Blount accomplished that as his team breaks before the start of the fall semester, that is it. — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 July 2026

Noun

There are more than enough new book releases in August to keep readers contentedly antisocial and entertained until the humidity breaks. — Colin Dwyer, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026

Meanwhile, those still on their post-World Cup breaks — including France’s Jules Kounde, England’s Anthony Gordon and the eight Barca players in Spain’s squad are due back from August 11 and August 12. — Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

The album’s mood is evocative of a hot summer’s day; the combination of live-wire drum breaks and breezy keys suggests the feeling of dipping your toes in the ocean when the temperature outside is pushing 90. — Rae-Aila Crumble, Pitchfork, 3 Aug. 2026

Plenty of incentives Adding fuel to the rumors was the passage of bills by the Louisiana Legislature earlier this year that included a package of incentives for aerospace companies, including liability protections and property tax breaks. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 3 Aug. 2026

The concierges even take into account personal interests and will customize your trip around lunch stops or espresso breaks. — Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2026

To accommodate these differences, the classes feature lighter weights, frequent breaks and a high coach-to-child ratio. — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026

Chatty watercooler breaks were a standard feature of office culture. — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026

Suarez has said his plan would also mark a departure from what’s become common practice on the Beach for new construction where developers request variances and other breaks for projects. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026