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
Jesse Granger, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Near the midway point of the game, Knights winger Brandon Saad got behind the Wild defense and had a breakaway from the blue line but his the crossbar.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 21 Apr. 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
Alexander E. Gates, The Conversation, 5 May 2025
Early Friday, the Druze religious leadership said that the community is part of Syria and refuses to break away from the country, adding that the role of the state should be activated in the southern province of Sweida and authorities should be in control of the Sweida-Damascus highway.
—Ghaith Alsayed and Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakaway
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Noun
Eichel caught the 70-something-foot saucer pass in stride for a breakaway, skated in and beat Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson to break a 1-1 tie.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Near the midway point of the game, Knights winger Brandon Saad got behind the Wild defense and had a breakaway from the blue line but his the crossbar.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 21 Apr. 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
Some of these meteors come from an impact that struck Mars at some point, breaking away rock from the planet surface and shooting it into outer space.
—Alexander E. Gates, The Conversation, 5 May 2025
Early Friday, the Druze religious leadership said that the community is part of Syria and refuses to break away from the country, adding that the role of the state should be activated in the southern province of Sweida and authorities should be in control of the Sweida-Damascus highway.
—Ghaith Alsayed and Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 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 19 May. 2025.
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