Synonyms of breaks
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as in disrupts
- as in stops
- as in reduces
- as in deciphers
- as in pauses
- as in plows
- as in violates
- as in solves
- as in damages
- as in dies
- as in retreats
- as in wears
- as in circulates
- as in bankrupts
- as in begins
- as in veers
- as in lowers
- as in exceeds
- as in surfaces
- as in lulls
- as in vacations
- as in gaps
- as in opportunities
- as in accidents
- as in escapes
- Example Sentences
- Entries Near
1
as in disrupts
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 stops
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end the final vote broke the deadlock
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3
as in reduces
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 deciphers
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 pauses
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 violates
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 solves
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 damages
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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10
as in dies
to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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11
as in retreats
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 wears
to use up all the physical energy of the trek up the mountain just about broke me
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13
as in circulates
to become known as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
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14
as in bankrupts
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 begins
to come into existence the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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16
as in veers
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 lowers
to diminish the price or value of distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
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18
as in exceeds
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 lulls
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 vacations
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 gaps
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 accidents
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 escapes
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 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 breaks
ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026 So nothing breaks, but the system behind it changes. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026 Pringle said that if a person breaks the law in their car and kills someone, that should be charged as a felony. —Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026 And some critics are warning that moving too quickly on infrastructure and resource projects will backfire if the government breaks trust with Indigenous communities. —Christine Dobby, Bloomberg, 24 Apr. 2026 Fear of losing a job breaks the psychological contract and disrupts the rewards system between employee and boss, says De Witte. —Claire Zillman, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026 This plant breaks the general rule regarding when to divide, as dianthus plants flower in spring and summer. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026 Nel ignores the concern of her sister (Maja Michnacka) and breaks a date with her ex (Agata Trzebuchowska) to hang with Bethany instead. —Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026 The California Employment Development Department breaks this data down by city, rather than metro area. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026 The breaks kept coming for Orlando. —Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026 Huarte had four service breaks — the last being a cross-court passing shot on match point. —Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026 On Wednesday, the Illinois House passed a proposal to help the team build a new $2 billion stadium in Arlington Heights (Chicagoans preferred stadium site), allowing the Bears to negotiate long-term property tax breaks. —Grace Miserocchi, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026 Shaun Presley's two-run homer in fifth breaks tie against Dublin. —Darren Sabedra, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026 Johnson is consistent in mirroring the release from his pedal and rarely labors when transitioning with route breaks. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 But Bambaataa’s work was increasingly defined by his forays into electro breaks and house music, scenes greatly inspired by his Soulsonic Force hits. —Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026 People seek out these breaks to process, recalibrate and shake off the gloom. —ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
The skyrocketing price of DRAM and NAND may be what finally breaks the streak despite strong Galaxy S26 sales. —ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026 So nothing breaks, but the system behind it changes. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026 Pringle said that if a person breaks the law in their car and kills someone, that should be charged as a felony. —Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026 And some critics are warning that moving too quickly on infrastructure and resource projects will backfire if the government breaks trust with Indigenous communities. —Christine Dobby, Bloomberg, 24 Apr. 2026 Fear of losing a job breaks the psychological contract and disrupts the rewards system between employee and boss, says De Witte. —Claire Zillman, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026 This plant breaks the general rule regarding when to divide, as dianthus plants flower in spring and summer. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026 Nel ignores the concern of her sister (Maja Michnacka) and breaks a date with her ex (Agata Trzebuchowska) to hang with Bethany instead. —Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026 The California Employment Development Department breaks this data down by city, rather than metro area. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Noun
Without any workplace oversight, the baristas did the obvious, padding their breaks by ten, fifteen, twenty minutes. —Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026 The breaks kept coming for Orlando. —Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026 Huarte had four service breaks — the last being a cross-court passing shot on match point. —Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026 On Wednesday, the Illinois House passed a proposal to help the team build a new $2 billion stadium in Arlington Heights (Chicagoans preferred stadium site), allowing the Bears to negotiate long-term property tax breaks. —Grace Miserocchi, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026 Shaun Presley's two-run homer in fifth breaks tie against Dublin. —Darren Sabedra, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026 Johnson is consistent in mirroring the release from his pedal and rarely labors when transitioning with route breaks. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 But Bambaataa’s work was increasingly defined by his forays into electro breaks and house music, scenes greatly inspired by his Soulsonic Force hits. —Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026 People seek out these breaks to process, recalibrate and shake off the gloom. —ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks
Verb
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Crude oil also disrupts animals’ nervous systems, Grosell added, impairing their senses and ability to navigate, process input, and properly orient themselves in their environment.— Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026
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Cornstarch disrupts the scent trails ants use to navigate.— Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Once the larger transfer is sent, the account suddenly stops responding.— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
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The grinder is operated with one touch and automatically stops when your grounds are ready to go.— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Animal advocates have long pushed the city to legalize TNR, saying the practice reduces unwarranted litters, euthanasia and shelter intake while improving the health of feral cats.— Claire Wang, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
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There’s also a sliding divider that provides a privacy barrier from the aisle and, according to the manufacturer, reduces noise from the galley and bathroom.— Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Qualcomm’s chip can run Linux, along with Arduino software, and can even do computer vision, which deciphers what a camera sees and translates it into software.— Kif Leswing, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
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With that base knowledge and his opponent’s game tape, Nolan analyzes wide receiver alignments and deciphers the offense's attack.— Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But now Hunt stops reading from his phone and pauses to collect his words.— Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
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Trust short pauses to reveal what truly deserves your attention next.— Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The conservative Pacific Research Institute plows the same economic ground in a report.— Dan Walters, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
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Each April, Earth plows through its dusty trail — tiny grains burning up in the atmosphere at around 30 miles per second.— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The information is disseminated even if the allegations were proven false, which violates the officers’ constitutional rights, the lawsuit claims.— Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
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Opponents at home also say the change violates Japan’s pacifist constitution and will increase global tensions and threaten the safety of the Japanese people.— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Each approach solves part of the problem—but none solves it entirely.— Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
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When picking an airplane drink, water is the only one that actually solves a problem.— Jill Robbins, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/breaks. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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