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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of breaking
His most recent stop before Arkansas was in Baltimore, Maryland, as a night and breaking news editor.
—
Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
The user shared another clip in the thread that followed, showing the G1 breaking into a room like a burglar, shattering a glass door.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
Stick with us all week for breaking news on election night, as well as analysis in the days following the election.
—Carl Weiser, Cincinnati Enquirer, 3 Nov. 2025
And Charlie Jones breaking free for a kickoff return touchdown to open the game, marking three consecutive seasons with a return for a score.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
They are both seen as charismatic leaders breaking old rules.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Its main duties are breaking ties in the state Senate and taking over the Executive Mansion if the governor dies.
—Nik Popli, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Several late-breaking surprises have shaken up what political watchers thought would be a quiet race in Virginia.
—Jahd Khalil, NPR, 2 Nov. 2025
Chirino, a cop of four years, had confronted Banegas for breaking into cars, prosecutors say.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
The user shared another clip in the thread that followed, showing the G1 breaking into a room like a burglar, shattering a glass door.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
Stick with us all week for breaking news on election night, as well as analysis in the days following the election.
—Carl Weiser, Cincinnati Enquirer, 3 Nov. 2025
And Charlie Jones breaking free for a kickoff return touchdown to open the game, marking three consecutive seasons with a return for a score.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
They are both seen as charismatic leaders breaking old rules.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Its main duties are breaking ties in the state Senate and taking over the Executive Mansion if the governor dies.
—Nik Popli, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Several late-breaking surprises have shaken up what political watchers thought would be a quiet race in Virginia.
—Jahd Khalil, NPR, 2 Nov. 2025
Chirino, a cop of four years, had confronted Banegas for breaking into cars, prosecutors say.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking
Verb
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And that crackdown is disrupting the global remittance market.—
NPR,
NPR,
29 Oct. 2025
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This prevents stray heat from disrupting the atoms’ oscillations.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Look for signs like the cat stopping purring, stiffening, thrashing their tail, or hissing.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Despite the logic gleaned from the accounting books arguing to the contrary, spending is showing no signs of stopping.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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According to the current lawsuit, Fletcher has not paid his half of the minimum $1,500 per month restitution for the existing settlement, but his ex-wife has paid her portion, reducing the restitution balance to just under $56,000.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
3 Nov. 2025
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These are all part of standard advice for good sleep hygiene, which also includes reducing screen use before bed and creating a regular evening routine, like reading or listening to calming music.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Dreams are a concept that humans have been fascinated with deciphering for thousands of years.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
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Though historians have called for further research before making claims, the proposal of a script rooted in sign language might open the chance to explore a new way of deciphering Mayan art and show the ancient civilization to be even more sophisticated and efficient than scholars even knew.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Barca team also participated — in defiance of their own club hierarchy — by pausing during the first 15 seconds of their match at home to Girona the previous day.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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The news in the whiskey industry has not been very good as of late—there have been layoffs, distilleries are pausing production, and overall sales figures have dropped as people are drinking less, spending less, and tariffs have wreaked havoc upon the market.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Singh has now been arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated after plowing his big rig into slow-moving traffic on the I-10 Freeway in San Bernardino County.—
Jasmine Baehr , Bill Melugin,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
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But the images of bulldozers plowing down the East Wing, which has housed the offices of the first lady and others in the White House, has drawn sharp criticism.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Court records state that on June 4, 2024, X suspended Plummer’s original account for violating its rules against violent speech.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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Brodie, whowas found guilty of violating American sanctions on Cuba in the early 2000s, was denied pardon by former President Joe Biden in 2023.—
Melanie Hicken,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Neither a film noir femme fatale nor a jealous housewife, Sarah Trafford (Ruth Wilson) has come to Oxford Investigations for help in solving a mystery that has little to do with her own life.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
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Instead of getting lost in gigabytes of error data, designers now spend time solving real problems.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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