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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of break off
The girls set their step goals for the day’s session before breaking off into groups.
—
Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2024
Boeing has been under scrutiny after two of its 737 Max aircraft crashed in 2018 and 2019 and part of the body of another 737 Max aircraft broke off after take-off in January.
—Sally Percy, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
One broke off and the others were severely damaged.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2024
The claim: Mexico broke off relations with Canada A Dec. 8 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) claims one North American nation has cut diplomatic ties with another.
—Nate Trela, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for break off 
Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2024
Boeing has been under scrutiny after two of its 737 Max aircraft crashed in 2018 and 2019 and part of the body of another 737 Max aircraft broke off after take-off in January.
—Sally Percy, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
One broke off and the others were severely damaged.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2024
The claim: Mexico broke off relations with Canada A Dec. 8 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) claims one North American nation has cut diplomatic ties with another.
—Nate Trela, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for break off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break off
Verb
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Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich surprised the Ravens with an uncharacteristically aggressive game plan to stop running back Derrick Henry in the first half last week.—
Ted Nguyen,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
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The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, D.C. has stopped its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, following an executive order by President Donald Trump to end these programs on Monday.—
Francesca Aton,
ARTnews.com,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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After the video and song ended, the country singer continued playing the song on guitar, whistling, and later singing the chorus with some help from the crowd.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
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Presented by the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council, this special celebration and parade begins and ends at Wilma Chan Park.—
Jackie Burrell,
The Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Production has ceased on Season 2 of the Big Talk Studios series about an 18th-century highway robber, putting a cast and crew of hundreds out of work with nothing to show for their efforts.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
17 Jan. 2025
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One of my favorite coffee shops, Cafe De Leche, which had the most peaceful sunny patio — perfect for reading and catching up with a friend — ceased to exist.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Thus, as a reminder, don’t wait until the TCJA expires to do your estate planning!—
Darren T. Case,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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The bilateral arms control treaty came into force the following year and is scheduled to expire in February 2026.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The Associated Press reported this week that Trump has tasked New Jersey Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew with drafting an executive order to halt offshore wind production nationwide.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
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TikTok could fade to black in the U.S. in a matter of days after the Supreme Court rejected its appeal to halt a law that will ban the popular video app as of Jan. 19 unless Chinese parent ByteDance sells its stake.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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But most have concluded that justice will never be theirs, that the police have moved on to investigating crimes that receive more public attention, that they have been forgotten.—
Ryan Lillis,
Sacramento Bee,
17 Jan. 2025
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The league concluded, justifiably or not, that no deal was possible in Oakland, clearing Fisher to leave for Las Vegas.—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Athletic,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The report also found that although cases of lung cancer declined overall from 2012 to 2021, the decrease was slower in women — most likely because women were slower to take up heavy smoking and slower to quit, said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC News,
16 Jan. 2025
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In the case of lung cancer, which is predominantly driven by tobacco use, the shift in cancer incidence may be due to changes in peak tobacco use among women, who were more likely to start smoking later in life and were slower to quit, ACS chief scientific officer William Dahut said.—
Tina Reed,
Axios,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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TikTok and content creators on the app argued the ban violates their First Amendment rights by cutting off all speech on the platform, while the federal government argued the ban is necessary for national security, given ByteDance’s Chinese ownership.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes,
17 Jan. 2025
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Kira Weibel was in eighth grade when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the student’s Altadena charter school, cutting off critical community connections.—
Teresa Watanabe,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near break off
Cite this Entry
“Break off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20off. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
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