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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of broken off
Barber, the detective, testified that the tip of that knife was broken off, and there appeared to be blood on the blade and handle.
—
City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2025
Already one had broken off and, sadly the second one came from the top.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Current data suggests the asteroid features a bright surface made of solid rock, possibly broken off of a distant planet or another asteroid.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
Tyler Warren and Jonathan Taylor have each broken off explosive pass plays.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2025
Two park signs and a memorial tree were damaged, with the bottom half of one sign broken off and the other kicked down, splitting it in half.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
The new research focused on clasts, fragments broken off from the mountain during the landslide.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2025
Within a few minutes, whatever was on the other end had broken off the 80-pound line.
—Jack Prator, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2025
Already one had broken off and, sadly the second one came from the top.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Current data suggests the asteroid features a bright surface made of solid rock, possibly broken off of a distant planet or another asteroid.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
Tyler Warren and Jonathan Taylor have each broken off explosive pass plays.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2025
Two park signs and a memorial tree were damaged, with the bottom half of one sign broken off and the other kicked down, splitting it in half.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
The new research focused on clasts, fragments broken off from the mountain during the landslide.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2025
Within a few minutes, whatever was on the other end had broken off the 80-pound line.
—Jack Prator, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken off
Verb
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Some dabbled temporarily, and some, like Taivas, never stopped.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
8 Oct. 2025
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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
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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
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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
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Other areas, like transition program assistance, have ceased during the shutdown.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
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Eventually, the extended family gatherings ceased altogether.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Weekend Update concluded with a joke off between Jost, Che, and former anchors Tina Fey, Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler, who was SNL‘s host Saturday.—
William Vaillancourt,
Rolling Stone,
12 Oct. 2025
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Beyond its monetary value, the treasure hoard holds significant historical importance, the press release concluded.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The huge import taxes would come on top of the 44% tariff rate already in place on China, effectively cutting off trade between the world’s two largest economies, according to Wolfe Research.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
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During the first internet suspension, one father described to NPR how his daughters were quiet, pale and withdrawn after the internet was cut off.—
NPR,
NPR,
14 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
-
The state legislature passed the bill in mid-September.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One suit, filed on behalf of more than 3,300 people affected by the Palisades Fire, alleges that the city and state didn’t adequately clear public lands of brush, were slow to shut off power the day the Palisades Fire broke out, and allowed the reservoir to go dry.—
Nancy Walecki,
The Atlantic,
9 Oct. 2025
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The keyboard also comes with a pairable mouse that automatically shuts off the user’s webcam when it’s placed on an accompanying dock.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20off. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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