break·away
ˈbrā-kə-ˌwā 
1
a
: one that breaks away
b
: a departure from or rejection of something (such as a group or tradition)
2
a
: a play (as in hockey) in which an offensive player breaks free of the defenders and rushes toward the goal
b
: a sudden acceleration by one or more bicyclists pulling away from the pack in a race
3
: an object made to shatter or collapse under pressure or impact
1
: favoring independence from an affiliation : seceding
a breakaway faction formed a new party
2
: made to break, shatter, or bend easily
breakaway road signs for highway safety
3
a
: of, relating to, or resulting from a breakaway
a breakaway goal
b
: allowing or having an ability to execute a breakaway
breakaway speed
broke away; broken away; breaking away; breaks away
1
: to detach oneself especially from a group : get away
2
: to depart from former or accustomed ways
3
: to pull away with a burst of speed
Examples of breakaway in a Sentence
Adjective
A breakaway faction formed a new party.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 20 Mar. 2025
China sees the self-governing democracy of Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out using force to achieve its unification goal.
—Peter Guo, NBC News, 17 Mar. 2025
David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Furthermore, Moscow’s various calls for respect of the UN Charter would have been taken more seriously had Russia itself not unilaterally recognized the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008, or annexed Crimea and instigated a war in Ukraine’s Donbas region in 2014.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2023
Rob Wieland, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
On the return, the boy spotted a herd of wild horses and broke away from our equine train, chasing them through an open field surrounded by cottonwoods.
—Outside Online, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakaway
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Noun
The Cavaliers went up 107-102 midway through the fourth, but the Kings staged a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead on a breakaway dunk by Carter.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 20 Mar. 2025
China sees the self-governing democracy of Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out using force to achieve its unification goal.
—Peter Guo, NBC News, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Moscow has moved many of its vessels toward its Novorossiysk base, and satellite imagery indicates Russia is establishing another Black Sea base in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Furthermore, Moscow’s various calls for respect of the UN Charter would have been taken more seriously had Russia itself not unilaterally recognized the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008, or annexed Crimea and instigated a war in Ukraine’s Donbas region in 2014.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2023
Verb
These choices feel like designers looking to break away from some long standing challenges with how Magic plays.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
On the return, the boy spotted a herd of wild horses and broke away from our equine train, chasing them through an open field surrounded by cottonwoods.
—Outside Online, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakaway
Cite this Entry
“Breakaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakaway. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
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