BREAK Synonyms: 715 Similar and Opposite Words

break 1 of 2

verb

ˈbrāk

as in to disrupt

to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly hated telling her that I had broken her favorite glass vase

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to stop

to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end the final vote broke the deadlock

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to reduce

to bring to a lower grade or rank the captain was broken to lieutenant commander for disobeying a direct order from his group commander

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to decipher

to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language Alan Turing and the Bletchley Park mathematicians broke the Enigma code being used by the Nazis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to pause

to come to a temporary halt in one's activity she broke from her ruminations to find that it was already dinnertime

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to plow

to cut into and turn over the sod of (a piece of land) using a bladed implement farmers once broke fields with horse-drawn plows

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to violate

to fail to keep had to confess that he had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to solve

to find an answer for through reasoning Professor Bates broke the problem when she realized that it was possible to synthesize the necessary compounds

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to damage

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of I broke a tooth on the hard candy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to die

to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

start (up)

as in to retreat

to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening the herd of gazelles broke when they saw the lions racing toward them from the ridge above

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to wear

to use up all the physical energy of the trek up the mountain just about broke me

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to circulate

to become known as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to ruin

to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts another bad investment could break him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to begin

to come into existence the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to veer

to depart abruptly from a straight line or course the running back broke to his left before running out of bounds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

straighten

as in to depress

to diminish the price or value of distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to exceed

to go beyond the limit of a menu with prices that is likely to break the budgets of all but the wealthiest of diners

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to surface

to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below dolphins were breaking all around the boat

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

break

2 of 2

noun

as in pause

a momentary halt in an activity there was a brief break after the first movement as the doors to the concert hall were opened and the latecomers were allowed in

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in vacation

a period during which the usual routine of school or work is suspended most of the students at the boarding school are going home for Christmas break

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in gap

an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge) the rancher repaired the break in the fence where the horse had gotten through

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in opportunity

a favorable combination of circumstances, time, and place in classic fashion, her big break came when, as an understudy, she took over for an ailing star

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in accident

an unexpected benefit or advantage resulting from the uncertain course of events a guy who just seems to get all the breaks in life

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in escape

the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement a desperate break from that hellhole

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples of break in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Two Phoenix officers were shot by someone suspected of breaking into a vehicle, police said Tuesday. —

CBS News, 4 Sep. 2024 In April, news broke via Bloomberg that HBO Max was reportedly in talks with Rowling to produce a multiseason TV series wherein each of the seven Harry Potter books would have its own season. —

Abby Gardner, Glamour, 3 Sep. 2024

Noun

With the 2024 election looming on November 5, Congress is about to return from its five-week summer break, but there isn't much time to get down to business with only 13 working days before the six-week break heading into the election. —

Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024 The couple came most often in the 1990s and 2000s, often taking their three children to the park on long weekends and during school breaks. —

Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 18 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for break

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'break.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.