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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of broken off
According to police, the ignition key had been broken off in the door.
—
Sophie Sonnenfeld, ABC News, 23 Apr. 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
According to the news release, the vehicle was found parked and unoccupied, with a key broken off in the driver’s door lock.
—Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 21 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
Sophie Sonnenfeld, ABC News, 23 Apr. 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
According to the news release, the vehicle was found parked and unoccupied, with a key broken off in the driver’s door lock.
—Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 21 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
-
But Crenshaw’s own essay, on the hip-hop group 2 Live Crew, stopped short of calling for censorship.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Yet the eye-rolling has stopped.—
Natalie Sum Yue Chung,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
The Australian policy of refusing to allow boat arrivals to settle has largely ended people smuggling from Southeast Asian ports in rickety fishing boats that had once thrived.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
-
In 2023, Florida illegally ended Medicaid coverage for almost 500,000 recipients, primarily pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
More commonly, prescribed burning is halted because Forest Service staff are occupied fighting wildfires.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
4 May 2026
-
But while a subsequent ceasefire has largely halted fighting in Iran, Washington and Tehran remain unable to agree to a more secure peace.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Development ceased, and the Lucca would eventually be lost to time.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
6 May 2026
-
The fallout continues after Spirit Airlines ceased operations over the weekend.—
Veronica Ortega,
CBS News,
5 May 2026
Verb
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Skydio has warned against relying on international suppliers after the drone maker was cut off from its supply of Chinese batteries when it was blacklisted by Beijing in October, the Wall Street Journal reported.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The war has also cut off jet fuel supplies.—
Steve Kopack,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The global war concluded inconclusively, with territory changing hands in many directions.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The other major social media trial to have concluded this year took place in Los Angeles in March.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Cairenes are used to sitting at cafes until the small hours, but energy price spikes from the Iran war pushed authorities to impose a curfew, and dim or shut off streetlights, one of several such efforts to preserve fuel worldwide.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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As the fire continued to burn, crews called both Los Angeles Department of Water and Power personnel and the property's gas company to shut off utilities at the home.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The comparison is pretty accurate—shingles is caused by the same virus as chickenpox, varicella zoster, which can stay dormant for decades after those itchy red spots are gone.—
Petra Guglielmetti,
Glamour,
7 May 2026
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Turnover have gone independent and lined up a new album, Down on Earth.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broken off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20off. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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