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
Julie Bourdin, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 June 2024
His biggest save of the night came in the 74th minute when Juárez barreled down the left on a breakaway.
—Braidon Nourse, The Denver Post, 10 Aug. 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
Sarah Bradley, Health, 5 Sep. 2024
In particular, the capacity crowd inside Sala Grande went wild for star Daniel Craig, who broke away from his James Bond persona for a provocative and challenging role opposite Drew Starkey, who also earned cheers from the capacity crowd that included Pedro Almodovar.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for breakaway 
Noun
But the election’s kingmaker may be the other ANC breakaway party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), which was founded only six months ago by controversial former president Jacob Zuma.
—Julie Bourdin, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 June 2024
His biggest save of the night came in the 74th minute when Juárez barreled down the left on a breakaway.
—Braidon Nourse, The Denver Post, 10 Aug. 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
When your skin is peeling, the epidermis (top layer) of your skin starts to dry out, crack, and break away from the rest of your skin.
—Sarah Bradley, Health, 5 Sep. 2024
In particular, the capacity crowd inside Sala Grande went wild for star Daniel Craig, who broke away from his James Bond persona for a provocative and challenging role opposite Drew Starkey, who also earned cheers from the capacity crowd that included Pedro Almodovar.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for breakaway
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'breakaway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near breakaway
Cite this Entry
“Breakaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakaway. Accessed 27 Sep. 2024.
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