Synonyms of break
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as in to disrupt 
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as in to stop
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as in to reduce
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as in to decipher
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as in to pause
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as in to plow
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as in to violate
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as in to solve
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as in to damage
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as in to die
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as in to retreat
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as in to wear
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as in to circulate
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as in to ruin
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as in to begin
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as in to veer
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as in to depress
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as in to exceed
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as in to surface
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as in pause
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as in vacation
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as in gap
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as in opportunity
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as in accident
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as in escape
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Example Sentences
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1
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
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2
as in to stop
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
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3
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
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4
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
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5
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
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as in to violate
to fail to keep
had to confess that he had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone
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8
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
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9
as in to damage
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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10
as in to die
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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11
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
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12
as in to wear
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
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13
as in to circulate
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
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as in to begin
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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16
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
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17
as in to depress
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
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18
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
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1
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
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2
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
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3
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
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5
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
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as in escape
the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement
a desperate break from that hellhole
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of break
Michael D. Carroll, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
Watch On Boom Supersonic plans to break the sound barrier during a test flight this morning (Jan. 28).
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
Bed-rotting while watching Grey’s Anatomy, routinely taking breaks between hospital shootings and plane crashes, is a much different experience from devouring eight episodes of a teenybopper show in one sitting.
—Catherine Mhloyi, Them, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for break 
Verb
Large majorities of both and agreed that the immigration system is broken.
—Michael D. Carroll, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
Watch On Boom Supersonic plans to break the sound barrier during a test flight this morning (Jan. 28).
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Noun
Swift would later be spotted at several Chiefs games throughout the NFL season while on break from her Eras Tour.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
Bed-rotting while watching Grey’s Anatomy, routinely taking breaks between hospital shootings and plane crashes, is a much different experience from devouring eight episodes of a teenybopper show in one sitting.
—Catherine Mhloyi, Them, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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West End production of The Tempest was disrupted by climate crisis protesters on Monday night.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2025
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The shooting marks the latest example of everyday tasks being disrupted by gunfire in the US.—
Taylor Romine,
CNN,
28 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Andre then tried to stop the bleeding with a pair of used socks and another man's shirt.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
5 Feb. 2025
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Back in Europe, small to medium sized sales companies, who have long since stopped attending the AFM due to the cost, are increasingly discussing the lack of a fully-fledged fall market in the region to mop up sales on films launched at the late summer to early fall festivals.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Princess Anne has no plans to reduce her royal duties as her peers reach retirement age.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
27 Jan. 2025
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Here’s how to test for and reduce your exposure to these forever chemicals in your water.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Genomic sequencing, which deciphers the entire viral genome, is more ambitious.—
Lisa M. Krieger,
The Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2025
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Here's how China's Mars rover Zhurong finds possible shoreline of ancient Red Planet ocean The presence of lava introduces a significant challenge in deciphering the geological history of the Athabasca Valles system.—
Victoria Corless,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Suspension of Federal Financial Assistance The Trump administration has temporarily paused the obligation or disbursement of federal financial assistance across various programs.—
Chrissa McFarlane,
Forbes,
29 Jan. 2025
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An internal memorandum sent on Monday by the Office of Management and Budget ordered federal agencies to pause all grants and loans that have already been approved by the government.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Chevron, which recently moved its headquarters from near San Francisco to Houston, continues to plow money into oil production, shrugging off concerns that demand will weaken as consumers shift to electric vehicles and cleaner energy.—
Stanley Reed,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2025
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And even if all of it were legal and possible, automakers are likely to plow forward with EV efforts anyway.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Someone deleting your hateful comments on their posts and/or blocking you on social media didn't violate your rights.—
Brenda Looper,
arkansasonline.com,
5 Feb. 2025
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Privacy experts told ProPublica that companies that shared information with the NSSF may have violated federal and state prohibitions against deceptive and unfair business practices.—
Corey G. Johnson,
ProPublica,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Leadership should prioritize solving Boynton Beach’s existing problems — like affordable housing, traffic congestion and public safety — before taking on new ones.—
Dominick Vargas,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2025
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Jim sharpened his skills for over 40 years, solving challenges in production facilities worldwide and innovating in equipment design and operation.—
Grace Butler,
USA TODAY,
1 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near break
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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