Synonyms of break
-
as in to disrupt 
-
as in to stop
-
as in to reduce
-
as in to decipher
-
as in to pause
-
as in to plow
-
as in to violate
-
as in to solve
-
as in to damage
-
as in to die
-
as in to retreat
-
as in to wear
-
as in to circulate
-
as in to ruin
-
as in to begin
-
as in to veer
-
as in to depress
-
as in to exceed
-
as in to surface
-
as in pause
-
as in vacation
-
as in gap
-
as in opportunity
-
as in accident
-
as in escape
-
Example Sentences
-
Phrases Containing
-
Entries Near
-
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stop
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
9
as in to damage
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in to die
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in to wear
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
13
as in to circulate
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
14
15
as in to begin
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
17
as in to depress
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in escape
the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement
a desperate break from that hellhole
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of break
Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Didion broke barriers, refusing to feel remorse over valuing her career above all else and forging a language that can only be described as Didionesque.
—Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Harvard’s choice to fight back is a notable break from other major institutions, such as Columbia University, which in effect caved to Trump’s demands.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Verb
Aaron Judge’s bat broke on a grounder to third base in the third inning.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Didion broke barriers, refusing to feel remorse over valuing her career above all else and forging a language that can only be described as Didionesque.
—Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Noun
In another break from tradition, his burial will also not require the traditional three coffins consisting of cypress, lead and oak.
—Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Harvard’s choice to fight back is a notable break from other major institutions, such as Columbia University, which in effect caved to Trump’s demands.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break
Verb
-
When someone has it, their immune system goes into overdrive, producing more antibodies (or immunoglobulins, hence the name) than necessary that disrupt typical organ function.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
-
By proactively identifying vulnerabilities and swiftly addressing security gaps, organizations can significantly lower the risk of cyber incidents that could disrupt operations or compromise sensitive data.—
Oren Koren,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
The goal of this prescribed burn is to decrease the existing fire hazard and to prevent and reduce the impact of future fires in the area.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Keeping yourself hydrated and reducing your salt intake may also help reduce bloating and help your body rid itself of excess fluid. Types of Creatine Several types of creatine are used in supplements.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The generous release of Tahoe 100M is a potential turning point for deciphering cancer vulnerabilities at scale and can trigger an open-source data sharing momentum in cancer research.—
Amelia Palermo,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
The Dallas Cowboys are one of those teams deciphering between the talents in the final stack of players, as owner and general manager Jerry Jones said on Tuesday that this is the latest that the team has ever gone without having their board in place.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
After the Trump administration paused its reciprocal tariffs, we’re left, at least for now, with the baseline 10% global tariff, including on major cocoa exporters to the U.S., such as Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Ghana, the Dominican Republic and Papua New Guinea.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
-
While Trump paused most reciprocal tariffs on foreign trading partners — minus China — his 10 percent baseline import tax is still in place.—
The Hill Staff,
The Hill,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
The sheriff’s office said it’s launched an internal investigation, but so far has not found any signs that the veteran deputy violated any policies.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2025
-
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
-
Years of investigation and interrogation failed to definitively solve the mystery of McPherson’s vanishing.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
-
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 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share