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
On both flights, the nozzles on one of the boosters became engulfed in flames and broke off during liftoff.
—
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2026
The gust tore the vertical fin from the tail and hurled it into the left horizontal stabilizer, which broke off in turn.
—Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Duncan defied his father’s wishes and broke off an engagement with Lyonel Baratheon’s daughter to marry a commoner, Jaehaerys and Shaera had a traditionally incestuous Targaryen relationship, and Daeron died in battle.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2026
The gust tore the vertical fin from the tail and hurled it into the left horizontal stabilizer, which broke off in turn.
—Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Duncan defied his father’s wishes and broke off an engagement with Lyonel Baratheon’s daughter to marry a commoner, Jaehaerys and Shaera had a traditionally incestuous Targaryen relationship, and Daeron died in battle.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke off
Verb
-
The threat of Iranian missile and drone attacks has all but stopped tankers carrying oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iran from traveling through the strait, which is bordered in the north by Iran.—
Alex Veiga,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
However, access stopped after airstrikes hit Iran’s major nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Monthly premiums seem to be ever-increasing, subsidies for marketplace health insurance plans have expired, and the state’s willingness to fund Medicaid and its expansion program for low-income Idahoans has remained an open question in the 2026 legislative session.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The contract for her role as executive assistant with the athletic department expired and was not renewed, a university spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Goal of a change of government fades Yet, mere days into the war, White House officials have all but ceased references to a democratic spring that could sweep Iran’s government aside.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Rafts of fish carcasses collected, and tourism ceased in those areas.—
Michael Adno,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The three-month meteorological winter period that just ended will be remembered for its wild extremes in temperature across the United States, including deadly, persistent polar blasts and winter storms in the East.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The ongoing clashes ended an earlier ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey in October, when the two neighbors had again come close to a war.—
SUZAN FRASER AND MUNIR AHMED THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
To balance the budget last year, Newsom and the Legislature halted Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented immigrants beginning in January, and imposed a $30 premium on those already enrolled, beginning in July 2027.—
Andrew Graham
March 9,
Sacbee.com,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Bahrain and Qatar have effectively halted production of oil and LNG, keeping output at a trickle to avoid complete shutdowns that could damage reservoirs and delay restarts.—
Amena Bakr,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The intelligence assessment concluded that no one powerful or unified opposition coalition was poised to take over in Iran if the leadership was killed, according to the people familiar with the report.—
Michelle L. Price,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The state’s highest criminal court concluded the evidence showed not only that Mejia did not commit the crime, but that no crime occurred at all.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
During the news conference, Newey spoke of the struggles Honda had faced when rebuilding its engine project after temporarily quitting F1 in 2020, only to reverse its decision in early 2023 to link up with Aston Martin for 2026.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Her character, the beloved nurse Dana, threatened to quit after she was sucker-punched by a patient during her smoke break.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Justin Slaten is in no danger of being left off the Opening Day roster and still projects as one of the club’s top high-leverage bullpen arms.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The 17e, which at $599 is now the least-expensive model in the iPhone 17 series, picks up where the 16e left off.—
Eric Zeman,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broke off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20off. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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