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 ended
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 broken off
At that point, Preston had divorced Gage and also broken off an engagement to fellow actor Charlie Sheen.
—
Emma Banks, InStyle, 22 May 2026
The top of the column was broken off by vandals several years ago.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 May 2026
Beijing has broken off communication with Taiwan’s government, and in recent years, started sending warplanes and warships closer to the island in almost daily drills.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
The van was parked and unoccupied, and a key was broken off in the driver’s door lock, police said.
—Cale Ahearn, Baltimore Sun, 6 May 2026
It was found empty with a key broken off in the driver's side door lock, according to police.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
The key had been broken off on the driver's side door.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
During meteor showers, Earthlings ooh and aah over bits of rock that have broken off comets or asteroids as the travel around the sun.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 20 Apr. 2026
During the unmanned Artemis I mission in 2022, engineers discovered more than 100 locations on the Orion heat shield that had cracked and broken off during reentry.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026
Emma Banks, InStyle, 22 May 2026
The top of the column was broken off by vandals several years ago.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 May 2026
Beijing has broken off communication with Taiwan’s government, and in recent years, started sending warplanes and warships closer to the island in almost daily drills.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
The van was parked and unoccupied, and a key was broken off in the driver’s door lock, police said.
—Cale Ahearn, Baltimore Sun, 6 May 2026
It was found empty with a key broken off in the driver's side door lock, according to police.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
The key had been broken off on the driver's side door.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
During meteor showers, Earthlings ooh and aah over bits of rock that have broken off comets or asteroids as the travel around the sun.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 20 Apr. 2026
During the unmanned Artemis I mission in 2022, engineers discovered more than 100 locations on the Orion heat shield that had cracked and broken off during reentry.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken off
Verb
-
Not that long after, a guard near the New York Stock Exchange stopped me.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
-
Stosic delivered one giant hammer fist to Hardy’s jaw and the referee came in and stopped the bout.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Last season, Granada Hills ended a three-game losing streak to the Colts.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
-
Garrincha was the best player at that World Cup, scoring four times and leading the attack after an injury sustained in the group phase ended Pelé’s involvement.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Harris capped his night with a two-run home run in the eighth inning that gave the Braves (37-18) some breathing room and halted Red Sox momentum.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
27 May 2026
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The accident occurred during a safety inspection after workers halted demolition work upon noticing that a part of the structure had slightly sunk while concrete slabs were being cut, said Lee Jong-woon, an official at Seoul’s Seodaemun District Fire Station.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
More than a decade after VIBE ceased producing physical copies and became online-only, the iconic brand is relaunching print — with the first issue set to be released next week.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
26 May 2026
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Last fall, three iPhones ceased to receive iOS 26 support, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Verb
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Since the divorce, the teenagers, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 15, have been fully team mom and have reportedly cut off their dad.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
26 May 2026
-
Trapped and cut off from any outside help, Sylvie is forced to follow the terrorist’s instructions, her every move watched, and with no choice but to deliver the ticking bomb to its target — the Royal Albert Hall.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The Sunday, May 24 episode concluded season 1 of the Yellowstone spinoff about Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), and the episode ended with a dedication card.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
25 May 2026
-
The auditors concluded the transactions were loans in substance, not leases, and forced SpaceX to record the debt anyway.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
25 May 2026
Verb
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Whelton said that officials generally recommend that people shut off their air conditioning units to avoid drawing in outside contamination during these kinds of chemical incidents.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
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Which means their smartphone usage is truncated during the school day, during homework hours, and then it can be shut off altogether at night so that parents can sleep knowing their kids aren’t awake scrolling their smartphones.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Many of Japan’s leading writers, including Enchi Fumiko, Tawada Yōko, Itō Hiromi and Kakuta Mitsuyo, have produced translations of her works into modern Japanese, while others such as Kawakami Mieko have gone so far as to claim Ichiyō as their greatest influence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
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His first year at Liverpool, plagued by injuries, has gone horribly wrong.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broken off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20off. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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