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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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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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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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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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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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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Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of break
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
With bitcoin recently breaking above $100,000 for the first time, investors are right to question the sustainability of the current uptrend.
—David Keller, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2024
Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024
Detroit Tigers The Tigers, who were 47-50 and 6½ games out of a playoff spot at the All-Star break, made the American League Championship series this past season, going on a 31-11 run from Aug. 11 through Sept. 27.
—Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for break 
Verb
Kardashian most recently made headlines after attending the opening of SKIMS on 5th Avenue in New York City on Thursday, December 12 on a scooter after breaking her foot.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
With bitcoin recently breaking above $100,000 for the first time, investors are right to question the sustainability of the current uptrend.
—David Keller, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
In 2024-25, up to the November international break (13 matches), that had dropped to 6.0, 33 per cent down season on season.
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024
Detroit Tigers The Tigers, who were 47-50 and 6½ games out of a playoff spot at the All-Star break, made the American League Championship series this past season, going on a 31-11 run from Aug. 11 through Sept. 27.
—Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
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Sensory processing issues affect 1 in 20 people, including typically developing children, while audiovisual overstimulation can disrupt learning for all users, not just those with sensory sensitivities.Hashim Hayat, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
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Pearson, 28, became an effective multi-inning reliever after getting traded from Toronto (2.73 ERA in 19 appearances), and the Cubs probably won’t want to disrupt that momentum.Sahadev Sharma, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
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How to stop being so codependent The good news, according to both therapists, is that there are ways to become more independent without having to drift apart—and an easy way to start is by showing yourself some love.Jenna Ryu, SELF, 13 Dec. 2024
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Anthony Stolarz started in goal and stopped seven before leaving because of a lower-body injury.Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Surgery can benefit from real-time AI explanations and XR visualizations to reduce patient anxiety, while oncology can simplify complex treatment plans for better decision making.Alon Zuckerman, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
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Light pollution significantly reduces visibility of meteors.Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The group can’t decipher any helpful clues from that cryptic text, but all have thoughts on the importance of the upcoming contest.EW.com, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
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To decipher her code, translate the picture (or pictures) on each card into two words, then anagram the letters to spell out one of the dishes depicted on the right.Suerynn Lee, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Then, in January, the Biden administration paused permitting for new exports and started analyzing the economic, national-security, and climate impacts of expanding natural-gas exports.Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024
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And analysts say policymakers are likely to pause at their next rate-setting meeting in January.Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Wondering what streets have been plowed around Indianapolis?Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Dec. 2024
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Southeast Asia is fast emerging as an investment hot spot for AI leaders like Nvidia Corp. and Microsoft Corp., which are plowing money into cloud services and data centers.Eleanor Pringle, Fortune Asia, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The lawsuit alleges the restaurant violated the Texas Dram Shop Act by failing to uphold its staff to safely sell alcoholic beverages.Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
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Faced with community complaints, Mayor Karen Bass retools her affordable housing strategy July 6, 2024 This summer, low-income housing advocates sued the city alleging that Feldstein Soto and Park, with the tacit support of Bass, violated fair housing laws by slow-walking the project.Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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At Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, a newly-reinvigorated population of native southern sea otters have eaten so many invasive European green crabs that researchers say the otters have locally solved a problem that has plagued the West Coast for years.Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
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These emerging trends that will shape 2025 are not about innovation for its own sake but about preparing students for a future that prioritizes adaptability, human-centric skills, and cognitive problem solving.Mary Hemphill, PhD, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near break
Cite this Entry
“Break.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
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