breaking

verb

Definition of breakingnext
present participle of break
1
as in disrupting
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 stopping
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end the final vote broke the deadlock

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3
as in reducing
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 deciphering
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 pausing
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
as in plowing
to cut into and turn over the sod of (a piece of land) using a bladed implement farmers once broke fields with horse-drawn plows

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7
as in violating
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 solving
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 damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of I broke a tooth on the hard candy

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10
as in dying
to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

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11
as in retreating
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 wearing
to use up all the physical energy of the trek up the mountain just about broke me

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13
as in spreading
to become known as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country

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14
as in bankrupting
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 originating
to come into existence the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking

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16
as in veering
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 lowering
to diminish the price or value of distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks

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18
as in exceeding
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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19
as in surfacing
to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below dolphins were breaking all around the boat

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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 breaking That was a full-length movie filmed in 2004 when the Red Sox were breaking their storied curse, and included Johnny Damon and other players in cameos. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026 For example, the original pipe was aluminum, which is lighter and easier to move into the steep canyon but is more susceptible to breaking. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The team found that this breaking apart often occurs earlier than expected, putting that down to cracks that may have already existed in the rock due to collisions in space. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Some intentional adjustments that reduce friction give the business a little more room to grow without things breaking. — Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 Instead of breaking him, Duncan said the brutal conditions hardened his resolve to keep fighting. — Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 31 Aug. 2026 Angel Reese broke the WNBA single-game rebounding record with 26 while also breaking the league’s season record for rebounds as the Atlanta Dream beat the Sparks 78-71 on Monday night. — Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Angel Reese broke the WNBA single-game rebounding record with 26 while also breaking the league's season record for rebounds as the Atlanta Dream beat the Los Angeles Sparks 78-71 on Monday night. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 This new documentary sits down with the dancer, the people who know her, and representatives of the global breaking community to understand exactly what happened. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking
  1. disrupting
  2. stopping
  3. reducing
  4. deciphering
  5. pausing
  6. plowing
  7. violating
  8. solving
Verb
  • Almost constant air raids in Kyiv have now reached their third day, choking the economy in the Ukrainian capital and severely disrupting civilian life more than 4½ years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
  • In 2023, workers accused the company of disrupting union activities, including implying workers could be dismissed for participating in a union protest and locking emergency exits on the day workers planned to picket outside.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of disrupting
Verb
  • There is really no way to talk about the film unless one falls back on wispy vagaries and pointed allusions to cinematic precedents, or just explaining the act one set-up and then stopping with the warning that things get really weird thereafter.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Plain water can help remove waste from the blood into the urine, stopping kidney stones from forming.
    — Abby Norman, Verywell Health, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of stopping
Verb
  • According to a news release, the program will track attendance and behavioral data with the primary goals being to improve school attendance and student grades while potentially reducing psychiatric hospitalizations.
    — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • That could lower capital and operating costs while reducing safety risks during production.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of reducing
Verb
  • And navigating a website might involve deciphering images or knowing what links to click.
    — Jennifer D. Kobrin, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The prevention of future pandemics relies on information from previous outbreaks, which is one reason why deciphering the origins of the COVID-19 began is important.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of deciphering
Verb
  • Beijing — Already harrowing rescue efforts along the China-Nepal border are being complicated by the risk of new flooding or landslides, with authorities in China and Nepal pausing rescue efforts Friday due to those fears.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Some couples and families even choose a code word that means the conversation is pausing, Wilson says—not that the relationship is disappearing.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of pausing
Verb
  • His visit came after bulldozers started plowing through parts of the park in the far south of Texas, sparking widespread outrage.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There certainly may be a kernel of truth to Musk’s professed safety concerns, but plowing through bollards that are explitly designed to protect pedestrians from rogue drivers isn’t helping his case.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of plowing
Verb
  • The Seoul Central District Court convicted Han, widow of church founder Sun Myung Moon, of violating the political funds act, bribery and embezzling church funds, the court said in a statement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The bill also increases the maximum penalties for violating local fireworks ordinances to $1,000 for a first offense, $2,000 for a second offense and $5,000 for each additional offense within five years of the first.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of violating
Verb
  • According to the researchers, careful process design and optimization as well as architecture simplification could help in solving most of these issues, something that industrial production focuses on much more than academic researchers.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, the agents had, by collaborating amongst themselves, quickly found a way to manufacture answers to cyber challenges without actually solving the questions in the way ExploitGym’s creators had intended.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of solving

Phrases Containing breaking

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break-in
breaking
breaking bread
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Cite this Entry

“Breaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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