1
as in stopped
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the judge broke off court proceedings until after lunch
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in expired
to come to an end
talks between the two sides broke off when one began making unreasonable demands
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of broke off
The Golden Eagles did so in explosive fashion, as junior standout Isaiah Rogers found a seam and broke off an impressive 57-yard touchdown rush to slice the deficit to 10-6 late in the opening frame.
—
Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
The bottom line of her eyeliner broke off from her waterline to touch her nasal bone.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025
Sweeney broke off her engagement to Jonathan Davino, 42, in March after the former couple spent some seven years together.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
About 10 minutes later, one or two members of the group broke off to spray-paint vehicles and a guard booth with anti-ICE slogans.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Sep. 2025
The move comes after Inspirato broke off a deal to combine Inspirato with Buyerlink, a digital marketing firm that Inspirato CEO Payam Zamani also owns.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
After ramming it a few times, a piece of the rudder broke off, and that was even more fun because there was something to play with.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025
Additionally, some of the summaries broke off in the middle of a sentence with no obvious way to read the missing text.
—Edward Mendelson, PC Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Running backs Sire Gaines and Malik Sherrod each scored in the first quarter and broke off impressive runs, and combined for 140 yards on the ground.
—Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 6 Sep. 2025
Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
The bottom line of her eyeliner broke off from her waterline to touch her nasal bone.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025
Sweeney broke off her engagement to Jonathan Davino, 42, in March after the former couple spent some seven years together.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
About 10 minutes later, one or two members of the group broke off to spray-paint vehicles and a guard booth with anti-ICE slogans.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Sep. 2025
The move comes after Inspirato broke off a deal to combine Inspirato with Buyerlink, a digital marketing firm that Inspirato CEO Payam Zamani also owns.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
After ramming it a few times, a piece of the rudder broke off, and that was even more fun because there was something to play with.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025
Additionally, some of the summaries broke off in the middle of a sentence with no obvious way to read the missing text.
—Edward Mendelson, PC Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Running backs Sire Gaines and Malik Sherrod each scored in the first quarter and broke off impressive runs, and combined for 140 yards on the ground.
—Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke off
Verb
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Nexstar Media Group, one of the ABC affiliates which last week stopped airing Jimmy Kimmel Live!—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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Australia stopped stamping most passports in 2012 in favor of electronic immigration records, and New Zealand followed suit in 2016.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Over the summer, Ó hAnnaidh’s lawyers filed to have the case dismissed on technical grounds, saying the charge was brought one day after the six-month limit for such charges expired.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
26 Sep. 2025
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Duffy cited one example where California gave a driver from Brazil a license to drive a school bus for months after his legal presence in the country expired.—
Aaron Cooper,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After about two more decades of ice retreat, two tributaries to the north and south of the Alsek Glacier ceased feeding ice to the glacier, NASA reported.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
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Subsequently, according to Steinhauer, Robinson ceased having any further communications with Colvin.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bryant ended his Cowboys career with the most receiving touchdowns for any receiver in team history (73).—
Mark Kern,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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The Reds’ game ended while the Mets were playing in the sixth inning.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 2013, benefit verification and card replacements were halted, though applications and address changes were still processed.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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In February, Niccol announced the layoff of 1,100 employees, and halted hiring for hundreds of open positions.—
Lori Comstock,
Freep.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The country concluded its general elections with Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity winning an overall majority.—
Rajeev Tyagi,
ABC News,
29 Sep. 2025
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While the data during the peak of the Covid closures was even weaker, the increasing number of store closures and mounting cost pressures on tenants are likely to further dampen rent growth in the next several quarters, the report concluded.—
Kevin Williams,
CNBC,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Studies show that when couples use no contraception, about 30 percent of fertilized eggs never implant, and another 30 percent implant briefly before being passed from the body usually without the woman ever knowing.—
Mimi Zieman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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Some state legislatures have passed grant programs meant to help schools foot the bill for those upgrades, including in Texas and Florida, where mass shootings at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas in 2018 and Robb Elementary School in 2022 rattled the country.—
Tonya Simpson,
ABC News,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Among the most startling revelations was his experience filming 1977's The Sentinel, a horror movie directed by the late Michael Winner, which Sarandon says nearly drove him to quit acting altogether.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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The ex-staffer, who quit in August, said he was punched, elbowed or kicked by youth over 10 times and reported three or four assaults to police.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broke off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20off. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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