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
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
Russia initiated its 2022 invasion of Ukraine by sending its forces into the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, expanding its claim on Ukrainian lands beyond Crimea, which Russia took in 2014.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2024
Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2023
In 2008, Russia and Georgia went to war over the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024
Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 2 Dec. 2024
Sure, part two of Emily in Paris season four dropped in September, but Collins broke away from her character’s delightfully garish aesthetic—which is mostly delightful in limited, 10-episode doses—well before that press tour, starting with her dramatic chop in June.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for breakaway 
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Noun
The breakaway region of Somaliland has developed a relatively successful economy and a political regime that scores significantly better on Freedom House’s index than its neighbors.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
Russia initiated its 2022 invasion of Ukraine by sending its forces into the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, expanding its claim on Ukrainian lands beyond Crimea, which Russia took in 2014.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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
In 2008, Russia and Georgia went to war over the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024
Verb
Parents raised in authoritarian or neglectful households may struggle to break away from ingrained beliefs about discipline and respect.
—Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 2 Dec. 2024
Sure, part two of Emily in Paris season four dropped in September, but Collins broke away from her character’s delightfully garish aesthetic—which is mostly delightful in limited, 10-episode doses—well before that press tour, starting with her dramatic chop in June.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for breakaway
Dictionary Entries Near breakaway
Cite this Entry
“Breakaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakaway. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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