1
as in stops
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the judge broke off court proceedings until after lunch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ends
to come to an end
talks between the two sides broke off when one began making unreasonable demands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of breaks off
The fragmentary Ni 12501 tablet from the Early Dynastic III period of Mesopotamia breaks off when Fox deceives the inhabitants of the netherworld in his quest to retrieve the storm god Ishkur.
—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks off
Verb
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So grab a plate, settle in, and let these films take you back to the yard—where the music never stops, the bonds run deep, and every Homecoming feels like family coming home again.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
16 Oct. 2025
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More than 750,000 federal workers have been furloughed, which stops them from reporting to work.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The book’s journey through the brain ends at the frontal pole, a region involved in self-reflection — thinking about thinking.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 Oct. 2025
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The upheaval comes as brands battle to reverse a slowdown in luxury consumption worldwide, with aspirational consumers turning their backs on high-ends goods after several years of steep price increases in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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According to Havel, this usefulness is so successful, so total, that the story, the history, ceases to exist.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
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If an airport ceases service for more than six hours, you may be reimbursed for non-refundable expenses like flights, hotels, prepaid tours, and change fees.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The monetary policy comments came shortly after a CNBC report that Waller is one of five finalists to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell when his term expires in May 2026.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
10 Oct. 2025
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Berman, whose initial four-year deal expires after this season, was asked last month about the status of her contract negotiations.—
Scott Soshnick,
Sportico.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For one day only, vehicle traffic halts on the 3,031-foot-long bridge and pedestrians stream across.—
Taryn Shorr-Mckee,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Oct. 2025
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The best-cooling cases often reach that mark by spinning up their fans to annoyingly noisy levels, but the MasterFrame 600 halts that trend by having the third-quietest (or fourth-noisiest) sound pressure level of our test lot.—
Thomas Soderstrom,
PC Magazine,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The star will have been on the road for more than a year by the time the trek concludes in December with three shows in Mexico City.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
13 Oct. 2025
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Major league free agents aren't eligible to sign with new teams until five days after the World Series concludes.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Many girls and women have turned to online education being offered by organizations in other countries, but the nationwide blackout now cuts off their access to that, too.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
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For males, this means a vasectomy, which is a surgical procedure that cuts off the supply of sperm to the semen.—
Kelly Burch Published,
Verywell Health,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The shutdown will end when Congress passes and Trump signs an appropriations bill to fund the federal departments and agencies currently shut down.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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This would happen when the light of distant stars passes through the elusive matter.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaks off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20off. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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