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
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
It’s been stolen and recovered, had its nose broken off, and for 20 years the city stored it away for safety, which rather defeats the point of public statuary.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Firefighters found that the beam had broken off and toppled, throwing the workers roughly 30 feet and trapping one inside a concrete formwork platform.
—Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
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
It’s been stolen and recovered, had its nose broken off, and for 20 years the city stored it away for safety, which rather defeats the point of public statuary.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Firefighters found that the beam had broken off and toppled, throwing the workers roughly 30 feet and trapping one inside a concrete formwork platform.
—Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken off
Verb
-
Hagerty batted around against three different West Orange pitchers and before the bleeding was stopped, the Huskies had plated 10 runs in a crazy inning.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2026
-
For nearly two hours, Kid Rock barely stopped moving.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
10 May 2026
Verb
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After the review, McNabb was assessed a five-minute major penalty for interference and a game misconduct that ended his night.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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After one more look-ahead sizzle reminding the audience about the power of WBD’s IP, the show ended at just about 10 minutes over the hour mark.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The loss marked an early end for the Frost, which had previously gone a perfect 6-0 when facing elimination in the PWHL playoffs, and halted the team’s quest for a rare threepeat.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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Waymo has drawn criticism for its vehicles failing to yield to school buses in Austin, and for the performance of its vehicles during widespread power outages in San Francisco in December, when robotaxis halted in traffic, causing gridlock.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Verb
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During his temporary leadership, FEMA ceased door-to-door canvassing to reach survivors after disasters, and canceled a multibillion-dollar resilience grant program, since restored by a federal judge.—
Gabriela Aoun Angueira,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
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The president told Congress on May 1 that hostilities had ceased, on the day that would have been the deadline for congressional authorization.—
Garrett Downs,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Verb
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The fact that Iran could so easily cut off the world’s access to a fifth of global oil with some mines, makeshift drones and speed boats will require some serious reckoning – and permanent changes.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
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And nearly all of Iran’s population has been cut off from the internet since the war began.—
Jackie Northam,
NPR,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Two Connecticut State Police troopers have been cleared in connection with a fatal shooting in Bozrah last August after the state Inspector General concluded that the armed woman who was shot was apparently trying to commit suicide by cop.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
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Personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks escorted the travelers from ship to shore in Tenerife, an effort that concluded Monday.—
Mike Corder,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Individual reactors can be shut off while others operate, and new reactors can be added later.—
Krisztian Elcsics,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
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Finally, homeowners insurance generally covers burst pipes, roof damage and falling limbs when the damage is sudden and unexpected, but claims can be denied if insurers find negligence — like shutting off the heat or skipping pipe insulation, per guidance from the Texas Department of Insurance.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Both Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa are gone, with Jeff Hafley and Malik Willis now the team’s coach and quarterback.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
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Both Titus and Cortez Masto introduced bills addressing the gripe, but those efforts have gone nowhere, and their barrage of social media posts trying to call attention to the issue have failed to create political momentum.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broken off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20off. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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