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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of broke off
About 10 minutes later, one or two members of the group broke off to spray-paint vehicles and the guard booth.
—
Emerson Clarridge
updated February 17, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Feb. 2026
The women’s team’s ownership structure broke off from the men’s side two years ago — exactly how the split works is still unclear.
—Emily Olsen, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
On Saturday, one of those protests turned violent when about 100 hooded protesters broke off from a peaceful march and clashed with police, who responded by firing on them with tear gas and a water cannon.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The clip holding the ribbon to her medal broke off.
—Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 8 Feb. 2026
Perry broke off her long engagement to actor Orlando Bloom last year.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2026
But during that process, part of the fishing gear broke off, along with the tracking buoy.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
But in short order, its head broke off its body, chipped and got covered in ash.
—Jason Carroll, CNN Money, 18 Jan. 2026
The main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, is reportedly teaming up with Komeito, which used to be part of the LDP coalition but broke off after the far-right Takaichi became LDP leader.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
Emerson Clarridge
updated February 17, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Feb. 2026
The women’s team’s ownership structure broke off from the men’s side two years ago — exactly how the split works is still unclear.
—Emily Olsen, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
On Saturday, one of those protests turned violent when about 100 hooded protesters broke off from a peaceful march and clashed with police, who responded by firing on them with tear gas and a water cannon.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The clip holding the ribbon to her medal broke off.
—Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 8 Feb. 2026
Perry broke off her long engagement to actor Orlando Bloom last year.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2026
But during that process, part of the fishing gear broke off, along with the tracking buoy.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
But in short order, its head broke off its body, chipped and got covered in ash.
—Jason Carroll, CNN Money, 18 Jan. 2026
The main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, is reportedly teaming up with Komeito, which used to be part of the LDP coalition but broke off after the far-right Takaichi became LDP leader.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke off
Verb
-
That has not stopped him from being a frequent guest on cable and network television.—
Max Rego,
The Hill,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Only recently had many countries stopped treating solo female travelers as a problem to be managed, no longer refusing them hotel rooms when traveling without a man, or denying them credit cards to pay for it.—
Lilit Marcus,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But officials whistled Mikal Bridges for a loose-ball foul against Christian Braun that review showed came before the clock expired.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Meiner limited the time for each speaker to one minute, rather than the usual two, and a police officer stood near the speakers and told them to wrap up when their minute expired.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As nearly every country in Europe has significantly reduced or entirely ceased Russian energy imports, Hungary — an EU and NATO member — has maintained and even increased its supply of Russian oil and gas since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine in February 2022.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Oil imports from Venezuela have ceased since Washington toppled its leader last month, cutting Cuba’s main source of energy.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As soon as our interview ended, the seven idols disappeared to change outfits for an evening rehearsal, and returned minutes later, slurping down steaming cups of ramyeon.—
Rebecca Cairns,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
His night ended amid a storm of laughing students and obscene gestures.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Federal agencies halted overdose-surveillance networks, delayed youth smoking data, scaled back food-safety pathogen monitoring and purged transgender health information from websites.—
Mike Stobbe,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Lumley said the progress of the bill halted in 2025 due to conflicts with some of the agricultural groups in the state.—
Cami Koons,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Thousands of nurses at local Kaiser Permanente facilities have been striking for more than three weeks, while more than 3,000 Kaiser pharmacy and lab employees concluded a three-day strike last week.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
In August 2025, a judge concluded that Vedam had not been given a fair trial due to prosecutors’ efforts to suppress evidence.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But that third period, the girls never quit.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Del Valle recently attended a choreographers conference in Europe and was surprised to learn that many of them had quit dancing.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Malinin was 17 when he was left off the roster in favor of veterans.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
But these bold and sightline-seeking hues are typically best left off the bedroom walls.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broke off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20off. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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