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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of broke off
The Seminoles broke off consecutive big plays to get deep into Miami territory before the Hurricanes’ defense held firm late to limit Florida State to a 23-yard Jake Weinberg field goal.
—
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
About 10 minutes later, one or two members of the group broke off to spray-paint vehicles and the guard booth.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025
Sweeney, meanwhile, broke off her engagement to businessman Jonathan Davino in March, after the pair spent some seven years together.
—Jen Juneau, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
On third down, Devin Williams broke off a 49-yard run to give the Wolverines the ball in El Toro territory.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025
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
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
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
About 10 minutes later, one or two members of the group broke off to spray-paint vehicles and the guard booth.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025
Sweeney, meanwhile, broke off her engagement to businessman Jonathan Davino in March, after the pair spent some seven years together.
—Jen Juneau, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
On third down, Devin Williams broke off a 49-yard run to give the Wolverines the ball in El Toro territory.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke off
Verb
-
Some dabbled temporarily, and some, like Taivas, never stopped.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Childers doesn’t get much country airplay but that hasn’t stopped the Grammys from recognizing him in this category.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The store’s health permit had expired.—
Sarah Linn,
Sacbee.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The federal government shut down Wednesday after funding laws expired, putting over 750,000 federal employees on furlough and leaving others working without pay.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, DC, closed its doors to the public on October 5, six days after the federal government ceased operations following the failure of Republicans and Democrats to agree on a spending bill.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
7 Oct. 2025
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But by this time, Leo, too, had ceased to be his sister’s confidant.—
Via Scribner,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In the quarter ended August, Oracle's Nvidia cloud business posted gross margins of just 14%, far below its overall margin of around 70%.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
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Fallon ended the chat by surprising the trio with the presentation of the platinum plaque for the movie’s soundtrack.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After injuries halted his short stint in the minor leagues, Minaya worked on the Texas Rangers scouting team in 1985, before working his way up to becoming the assistant general manager of the New York Mets during the late 1990s.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
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Beer and beverage giant Asahi – which makes Asahi Super Dry Beer, Nikka Whisky and owns foreign brands like Peroni, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch – said the attack last week halted order placement and shipping operations and forced it to shut down production at most of its 30 factories nationwide.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This would not have been a serious consideration midway through Newcastle’s 2-0 win against struggling, flailing Nottingham Forest — the nothingness of half-time was like a blessed relief — but a stodgy, slow-burning afternoon concluded with Howe’s team comfortable and edging towards dominance.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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In September, an independent UN inquiry concluded for the first time that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a finding which the Israeli government has rejected.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The resolution, which passed this week, came weeks after a controversial incident involving a girls' volleyball game.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Oct. 2025
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The state legislature passed the bill in mid-September.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Even down 14-0, the Jaguars never quit.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
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Russell—toying with the idea of quitting acting for good—jumped coasts.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broke off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20off. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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