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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Related Articles
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of break
Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
Hailey Bieber just broke her streak of wearing ultra-subtle, barely there manis with a very out-of-character color choice.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 9 Apr. 2025
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2025
With things about to get bloody, June pulls the locomotive's emergency break, bringing it to a screeching halt.
—EW.com, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
The Kansas City Star (660) 254-1083 Kendrick Calfee covers breaking news for The Kansas City Star with a focus on public safety.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
Hailey Bieber just broke her streak of wearing ultra-subtle, barely there manis with a very out-of-character color choice.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
Instead, Carti enjoys a smoke break while sipping and flexing some cash.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2025
With things about to get bloody, June pulls the locomotive's emergency break, bringing it to a screeching halt.
—EW.com, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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Shearing emphasized that there are no true winners in a tariff war, as higher prices harm consumers and disrupt global supply chains.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
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Behind the scenes there was no doubt other dreams were dashed and processes disrupted.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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When the American money stopped flowing, the local soup kitchen closed and Ms. Musa went out searching for food.—
Declan Walsh,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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The confrontation stopped and restarted as the man appeared to try to get the knife away from Perez over the fence.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This has, among other losses, reduced Egyptian revenue from the Suez Canal by about eight hundred million dollars a month.—
Bernard Avishai,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2025
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Cost Savings: Automation reduces labor costs and minimizes errors.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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After analyzing his journal, Cordelia was able to decipher the diligent log Wynter kept of each criminal statute and ethical code that Lilly broke while working her role at the White House, which included stealing money and securing shady contracts.—
Lexy Perez,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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As Saxon and Lochlan try to decipher what happened between them, we are asked to think about why we’re aroused (or repulsed) by it.—
Louis Staples,
Rolling Stone,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Notably, the case doesn’t challenge the latest round of levies imposed on Liberation Day, some of which have since been paused.—
Cristian Farias,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2025
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Fabrizio Bensch | Reuters United Airlines and Microchip Technology were among the stocks showing the largest intraday reversals in their share prices in Wednesday afternoon’s furious rally following President Donald Trump’s decision to pause most of the largest tariff increases for 90 days.—
Sean Conlon,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The big picture: The administration is plowing forward with its sweeping tariffs despite warnings from economists and MAGA-friendly CEOs that the levies will fire inflation and hinder growth, setting the stage for a recession.—
Sareen Habeshian,
Axios,
9 Apr. 2025
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Minivan plows through crowd, injuring 9 in busy Los Angeles shopping district At least 9 people were injured on Apr. 6 when a minivan plowed through a crowd in Downtown Los Angeles, wounding at least three children.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In a series of lawsuits following the order, plaintiffs, including 22 Democratic state attorneys general and immigrant rights advocates, argued that Trump's order violates a right protected by the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment: anyone born in the United States is a citizen.—
Terry Moseley,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
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In legal terms, the lawsuits are saying oil and gas companies violated consumer-protection laws and committed common-law civil violations such as negligence.—
Hannah Wiseman,
The Conversation,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Years of investigation and interrogation failed to definitively solve the mystery of McPherson’s vanishing.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
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And it won’t be solved by job descriptions, dashboards, or top-down messaging.—
Nirit Cohen,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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