1
as in to stop
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 to end
to come to an end
talks between the two sides broke off when one began making unreasonable demands
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break off
The sidewalk and street below were littered with large stones that broke off the wall in the collision.
—
Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 17 Jan. 2025
Waves battered the reef, breaking off pieces of coral and sediment that clumped together to form Tetiaroa’s islets, or motus.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Jan. 2025
Last year, the two countries broke off diplomatic relations following Noboa’s order of a raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador to arrest Jorge Glas, a former Ecuadorean vice president.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 3 Feb. 2025
Although its nose had been broken off, the statue of a man’s head still showed remarkable detail.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break off
Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 17 Jan. 2025
Waves battered the reef, breaking off pieces of coral and sediment that clumped together to form Tetiaroa’s islets, or motus.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Jan. 2025
Last year, the two countries broke off diplomatic relations following Noboa’s order of a raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador to arrest Jorge Glas, a former Ecuadorean vice president.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 3 Feb. 2025
Although its nose had been broken off, the statue of a man’s head still showed remarkable detail.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break off
Verb
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Outside of suicide, the only way for a terminally ill person in Ohio to hasten their own death is to refuse life-prolonging treatments or to stop eating and drinking.—
Tim Botos,
USA TODAY,
18 Feb. 2025
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Retirees who stop working at Full Retirement Age—currently 67—can receive a maximum monthly benefit of $4,018.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, ended the session down 188.04 points, or 0.43%, after being up as much as 245.34 points earlier in the day.—
Josephine Rozzelle,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
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Hamas has freed all 25 living hostages included in the first six-week phase ending on March 1 in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.—
Joseph Krauss,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The turmoil that enveloped the federal workforce over the last few days is unlikely to cease anytime soon as the U.S. government’s human resources agency considers how to fulfill Elon Musk ’s demands.—
Chris Megerian,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2025
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The news many in the film sector feared over the weekend is coming to pass as Technicolor has made the majority of its UK workforce redundant and the majority of its activities have ceased.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Most expire at the end of the year, and if that happens, tax rates would revert to pre-2017 levels that would raise many taxes.—
David Lightman,
Sacramento Bee,
27 Feb. 2025
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Most wind advisories will expire by Thursday night.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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New President Donald Trump fired CFPB director Rohit Chopra and installed an acting director, Russell Vought, who ordered the agency to halt its work and shut its doors.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA TODAY,
22 Feb. 2025
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Rice lauded the Trump administration’s efforts to boost natural gas production, which had been halted by former President Joe Biden.—
Julie Coleman,
CNBC,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In 2017, a Human Rights Watch investigation concluded that Mr. al-Sayed was not affiliated with the Israeli military or government.—
Natan Odenheimer,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
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The 75th Berlin Film Festival has concluded after nine days of fearless cinema in Germany.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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For those who make too much to qualify for state assistance programs but not enough to comfortably pay for childcare costs out of pocket, quitting a job to look after their kids sometimes makes the most financial sense.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2025
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During his confirmation hearings in late January, Kennedy falsely suggested that antidepressants were harder to quit than heroin.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The flood raged for nearly 20 hours, cutting off escape routes and trapping them in a claustrophobic nightmare.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
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As part of the Trump administration’s three-month freeze on American foreign aid, Friendship Bench’s funding was being cut off.—
Ryan Lenora Brown,
The Christian Science Monitor,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20off. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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