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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Phrases Containing
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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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6
7
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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6
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
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Recent Examples of break
Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2025
Three were decided by penalty kicks after two 10-minute extra periods didn’t break the ties.
—Buddy Collings, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2025
Lydia Patrick, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
With clear resistance around $61, a break above this price point would mean an upside resolution to this sideways trend, and BMY would then be sitting above two upward-sloping moving averages.
—David Keller, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
In the fourth, the Coyotes continued their press, and Birdville had trouble breaking it.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2025
Three were decided by penalty kicks after two 10-minute extra periods didn’t break the ties.
—Buddy Collings, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
During a break, Chanel heard tiny meows coming from a janitorial closet and discovered Merv—tiny, covered in ants, unable to walk, and drinking an unknown chemical.
—Lydia Patrick, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
With clear resistance around $61, a break above this price point would mean an upside resolution to this sideways trend, and BMY would then be sitting above two upward-sloping moving averages.
—David Keller, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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The right-wing House Freedom Caucus on Tuesday issued a threat to try to censure any Democratic lawmakers or guests who disrupt President Trump's speech to Congress.—
Andrew Solender,
Axios,
5 Mar. 2025
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Early on, Democratic Representative Al Green was escorted out of the House chamber after disrupting Trump’s speech by shouting and shaking his cane in the air.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
WWD,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Don’t stop the agreement that has already brought dozens of hostages back to us.—
Ibrahim Dahman,
CNN,
1 Mar. 2025
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Often, women would wear the same watch for years, so why did the younger generations ever stop?—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The venue renovations have significantly increased hospitality and premium offerings with new pubs, clubs, restaurants and seating, while reducing the number of suites from 70 to 40.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
4 Mar. 2025
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Stay safe on wintry roads with these valuable winter driving tips from the NWS, and reduce the risk of accidents during challenging weather conditions.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Orange County Register,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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His annual press conference, to be held later in the week, will be closely watched to decipher China’s stance on U.S.-China relations under Trump.—
TIME,
TIME,
3 Mar. 2025
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Scientists had long thought that deciphering those qualities — collectively known as prosody — happened in the superior temporal gyrus, an area of the brain associated with speech perception.—
Paul Smaglik,
Discover Magazine,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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An eye poke late in the third round paused the contest for the full five minutes Cejudo was allotted to recover from the foul.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
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But the Trump Administration paused military aid to Ukraine and its intelligence sharing after a public spat broke out in the Oval Office between Zelensky, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Friday, February 28.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
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At present, the town regularly has to plow sand that gets blown over the road.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2025
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And the announced goal is to plow any savings back into other Pentagon programs, not save money for the taxpayer.—
William Hartung,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The hearing stemmed from a defense motion to suppress the investigative genetic genealogy evidence, as the defense argued the testing violated Kohberger’s constitutional rights and its results should be thrown out.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN,
1 Mar. 2025
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Revisiting cases against crypto firms — especially those which violated the SEC's rules but were not alleged to have defrauded investors — has been broadly anticipated.—
Hannah Lang,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Puzzle after puzzle requires clever thinking and, most importantly, collaborative effort to solve.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
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Now, that’s not to say that Trump is going to solve anything.—
David Remnick,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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