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
For instance, in the closer, Rosa (Martinez) decided to leave her job as a medical examiner and broke off her romantic relationship with Yancy.
—
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
On the ensuing drive, Christian Simmons broke off a 32-yard touchdown run.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Part of the helicopter broke off before the crash.
—Sydney Barragan, Oc Register, 12 Oct. 2025
According to the New York Post, visitors broke off parts of the headstone as souvenirs.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
The program said the opposing aircraft broke off the engagement and withdrew from the area, and the jet model involved had not returned to the Chinese coast since.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
The issue is that opposing offenses have tended to run at him, like when Panthers tailback Rico Dowdle broke off a 25-yard run right before the end of the first half.
—Miami Herald, 7 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
The bottom line of her eyeliner broke off from her waterline to touch her nasal bone.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
On the ensuing drive, Christian Simmons broke off a 32-yard touchdown run.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Part of the helicopter broke off before the crash.
—Sydney Barragan, Oc Register, 12 Oct. 2025
According to the New York Post, visitors broke off parts of the headstone as souvenirs.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
The program said the opposing aircraft broke off the engagement and withdrew from the area, and the jet model involved had not returned to the Chinese coast since.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
The issue is that opposing offenses have tended to run at him, like when Panthers tailback Rico Dowdle broke off a 25-yard run right before the end of the first half.
—Miami Herald, 7 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
The bottom line of her eyeliner broke off from her waterline to touch her nasal bone.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke off
Verb
-
Sage could have stopped there and given Shannon her consolation hug after winning the day by turning the tribe vote against her.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Her focus is less on the reason for the decline than on the question of why people—even close family members—stopped talking with one another.—
Alex Kotlowitz,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
According to Henry Ford Health, there was a clause in the Teamsters contract that expired in August 2025 that tied union members’ pay to the number of nurses working on a unit each day.—
Lauren Giella,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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Tennessee state records show one of those men was denied a private security license, another's expired in 2020 and a third wasn't listed in the database.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After building a little over 200 cars, TVR ceased production and hasn’t ever quite gotten going again.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Their tactics had long ceased to surprise me.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
His tenure ended after consecutive losses to his former Notre Dame defensive coordinators Clark Lea (now the Vanderbilt head coach) and Mike Elko (Texas A&M), putting him at 34-14 in Baton Rouge.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
30 Oct. 2025
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However, Megan felt no spark in person with Mike, so that ended quickly.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Under the ceasefire accord, Hamas released all living hostages in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees, while Israel pulled back its troops, halted its offensive and increased aid into the enclave.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
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If funding lapses, the USDA can only use existing funds, and once these funds are depleted, SNAP payments to 42 million Americans could be halted until Congress acts.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As dinner concluded, Cynthia Erivo took the microphone to invite everyone to continue the celebration.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Finally, panelists concluded by talking about the importance of guardrails that protect creators and their intellectual property.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The novella lacks the temporal markers that indicate how much time has passed between episodes and exhibits an abundance of characters with ruptured psyches.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Many years have passed since nursing home patients lived in the Redlands Road building, the obscure permit on which the occupancy rested has lapsed.—
Lou Murray,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Furious about this, Jane quit the sorority.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Authorities are now hoping to cut down on smoking everywhere across the archipelago, with plans to set up anti-smoking clinics that will offer medication to help people quit tobacco products.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broke off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20off. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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