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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14
15
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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4
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
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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This sweeping decision could disrupt housing assistance, healthcare and education programs, disaster relief, and other programs that depend on federal dollars.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Jan. 2025
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The combination of strong winds and cold temperatures may also create concerns for those relying on heating sources that could be disrupted by power outages.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
Verb
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But some also said the length and scope of the communications slowdown was unusual, resulting in confusion among staff as health agencies sought to stop or claw back communications, meetings and events to comply with the directive.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2025
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Identity fraud attacks rose by 73% between 2021 and 2023, and nothing seems to stop them.—
Rob Heidenreich,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Working with a sliding scale provider, as mentioned above, is another great way to reduce costs.—
Kimberly Zapata,
Parents,
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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The memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget states that as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, federal agencies must pause the disbursement of federal financial assistance to evaluate programs and activities that may not be aligned with Trump’s policies.—
Natalie Demaree,
Miami Herald,
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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The Project Rise investors fired off a legal letter in October 2024 claiming that Paramount’s special committee violated its fiduciary duty to shareholders by neglecting to consider the group’s previous $8.5 billion bid for the company.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2025
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The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, argues that the decision violated federal law.—
Hamed Aleaziz,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Thesaurus Entries Near break
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
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