Synonyms of breaking
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as in disrupting 
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as in stopping
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as in reducing
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as in deciphering
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as in pausing
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as in plowing
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as in violating
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as in solving
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as in damaging
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as in dying
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as in retreating
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as in wearing
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as in spreading
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as in bankrupting
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as in originating
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as in veering
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as in lowering
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as in exceeding
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as in surfacing
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Example Sentences
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Phrases Containing
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Entries Near
1
as in disrupting
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 stopping
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
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3
as in reducing
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 deciphering
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 pausing
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
as in plowing
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
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7
as in violating
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 solving
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 damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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10
as in dying
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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11
as in retreating
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 wearing
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
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13
as in spreading
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
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14
as in bankrupting
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts
another bad investment could break him
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15
as in originating
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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16
as in veering
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 lowering
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
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18
as in exceeding
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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19
as in surfacing
to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below
dolphins were breaking all around the boat
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of breaking
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
—
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Sep. 2025
The new 12-night journey will launch in the summer of 2027 aboard the company's ice-breaking Le Commandant Charcot ship and is purposely designed to meet demand for a shorter cruise that still celebrates polar exploration, Ponant shared with Travel + Leisure.
—Katie Nadworny, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025
Japan’s Nikkei 225 also hit a fresh high Tuesday, breaking the 44,000 level, but gave up gains later in the session.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Swift followed that up with her first appearance on the podcast hosted by Kelce and his brother, Jason, breaking the show’s viewership record.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, the proud mom swapped out her Facebook cover photo after the Super Bowl champion and the pop superstar announced their internet-breaking news.
—Sarah Jones, People.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Marlene Lenthang Marlene Lenthang is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2025
Stacie’s 30-year journey is a blueprint for breaking barriers.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Sep. 2025
The new 12-night journey will launch in the summer of 2027 aboard the company's ice-breaking Le Commandant Charcot ship and is purposely designed to meet demand for a shorter cruise that still celebrates polar exploration, Ponant shared with Travel + Leisure.
—Katie Nadworny, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025
Japan’s Nikkei 225 also hit a fresh high Tuesday, breaking the 44,000 level, but gave up gains later in the session.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Swift followed that up with her first appearance on the podcast hosted by Kelce and his brother, Jason, breaking the show’s viewership record.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, the proud mom swapped out her Facebook cover photo after the Super Bowl champion and the pop superstar announced their internet-breaking news.
—Sarah Jones, People.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Marlene Lenthang Marlene Lenthang is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2025
Stacie’s 30-year journey is a blueprint for breaking barriers.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking
Verb
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Analysts, however, worry if the licenses will be approved fast enough to avoid disrupting operations abroad.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
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Soft-spoken and unrelenting, Alboury emerges as the only moral voice in a land of postcolonial abandon, refusing to let Cal get away with what may be homicide, while disrupting Horn’s romantic first night with Leonie.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For thinkers like Ratti, the time for stopping or slowing climate change has passed, and the time for climate adaptation is upon us.—
Kate Wagner,
Curbed,
5 Sep. 2025
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The European Commission isn't stopping with financial penalties, though.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The French prime minister was widely expected to lose the motion after failing to win support from political rivals on both the right and left for 2026 budget plans aimed at reducing the country's yawning budget deficit.—
Ganesh Rao,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
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At Tufts University, scientists have developed a new drug that aims to boost weight loss while also reducing the nausea, muscle loss and weight regain associated with popular GLP-1 medications.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For families deciphering what’s necessary and what to skip in a skin regimen, building a healthy routine for kids can be easy to manage.—
Khanh T.L. Tran,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
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To make deciphering all these invites a little easier, here’s what to know about formal attire.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In November, Adele endured backlash from fans for pausing her Las Vegas residency.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
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Nearly half of mothers (49%) say that costs affect their decision to have more children, while 24% have decided to have fewer children, and 25% are delaying or pausing their plans altogether.—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Once the target audience for novelists, boys and young men are much more likely to spend time gaming than plowing through 400 pages of anything.—
Doug McIntyre,
Oc Register,
31 Aug. 2025
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The key policy lever which could attract private sector investment is plowing more public moneys into development, Guiney argued.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Rice was unavailable for Friday’s game, serving the first game of his six-game league suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
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Bubba is named in the suit, accused of helping to develop the film using Hulk’s trademarks without permission, and of violating a settlement agreement.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But the meeting soon became a critical venue for surfacing and solving problems and, where possible, removing barriers.—
Nelson P. Repenning,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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Each episode will offer unprecedented access into the step-by-step process of solving a murder case, from the first clue to the decisive moment that changes everything.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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