BREAKS Synonyms: 709 Similar and Opposite Words

breaks 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of break

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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as in stops

to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end the final vote broke the deadlock

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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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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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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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as in plows

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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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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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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as in damages

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of I broke a tooth on the hard candy

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as in dies

to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

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starts (up)

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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as in wears

to use up all the physical energy of the trek up the mountain just about broke me

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as in circulates

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

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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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as in begins

to come into existence the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking

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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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straightens

as in lowers

to diminish the price or value of distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks

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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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as in surfaces

to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below dolphins were breaking all around the boat

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breaks

2 of 2

noun

plural of break

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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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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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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as in opportunities

a favorable combination of circumstances, time, and place in classic fashion, her big break came when, as an understudy, she took over for an ailing star

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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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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

Verb

The move publicly challenges the accuracy of the state’s death determinations in an extraordinary move that breaks precedent that states are the arbiters of case and death determinations, not the CDC. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026 According to Rehberger, a terminal operator who shows up when something breaks, handles the paperwork, and keeps machines generating revenue tends to hold onto locations in a way that an initial pitch alone cannot replicate. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 Rafter, bothered by a right shoulder injury, retires after Cedric Pioline breaks his serve in the opening game of the fifth set. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 The solvent breaks apart dirt and grease molecules and evaporates quickly to leave windows streak-free. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 2026 In the 1993 family comedy Rookie of the Year, a young boy named Henry (Thomas Ian Nicholas) breaks his arm during a little league game. — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026 At present, however, the capital stack often breaks at exactly this point of the Second Project. — Rob Day, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 One company, ZBiotics, touts a bacteria modified to produce an enzyme that breaks acetaldehyde down. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026 Continue reading … FIRST WORDS — Hayden Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson breaks his silence. — FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Noun

The threat of shattered glass if the bottle breaks, the subsequent odor suffusing all the items in your carryon, liquids seeping dangerously close to electronics—none of it sounds like a good idea. — Chloe Schama, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026 If your washing machine breaks or there is a leak in your ceiling, your landlord will be responsible for paying to replace it or fix the problem. — Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026 Festivalgoers were never forced to choose between artists, as sets were separated by 10-minute breaks, preventing overlap. — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 While hardier, wipeable furniture certainly has its time and place (say, messy craft sessions and sticky snack times), something a little more plush lends itself well to lounging around, reading breaks, and more relaxed forms of play. — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 31 Aug. 2026 To avert future calamities, the forest outside Bordeaux must be thinned and its fire breaks widened, said Arthur Guérin-Turcq, a Sorbonne University geographer whose family cultivates pines near Le Porge. — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 Manson took breaks to address the audience, praising Rodrigo’s ability to bring the multigenerational crowd together. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2026 The team's official drumline, The Pack, pounded on illuminated drums during quarter breaks, while Skye, the team's sassy, blue-haired lioness mascot, jumped onto the T-shirt cannon to launch souvenir merchandise high into stadium seats. — Odette Yousef, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026 The developers would also receive sales tax breaks on construction materials under the Port KC plan. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks

Verb

Montemayor told Campus Insights Media that alcohol disrupts rest at a biological level, fragmenting sleep into short bursts that leave a person feeling drained the following morning.

— Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026
Plantation owners and traditional farmers often start fires to clear land for farming at low cost, triggering hazardous haze that reduces visibility, disrupts land and air transportation and threatens public health.

— Muhammad Hatta, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of disrupts

Verb

The metalpoint tool sometimes slips or skitters; the fountain pen sometimes stops working—though, deprived of vision, the artist is unaware, and keeps drawing the now-invisible line.

— Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
There’s a tender, surprising moment of reconciliation in the novel’s final pages — the place where story stops.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of stops

Verb

At the center, a Geometric CNC Fuller visually reduces the mass of the blade while reinforcing Razorbill's distinctive multi-faceted character.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
The powertrain also recaptures waste energy; the ThermAssist heat management system boosts range by 7 percent and reduces the amount of energy needed to heat the car by 40 percent.

— Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of reduces

Verb

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
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

Definition of deciphers

Verb

The preview began by showing the pair getting caught up in a drug bust, in which Jason pauses to pet a dog on their way into a pickup that ends in a shootout with police.

— Angela Yang, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
The decision essentially pauses a preliminary injunction that granted a fifth season for the upcoming 2026-27 college season and represents a significant legal victory for the NCAA.

— Justin Williams, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of pauses

Verb

Every year, our planet plows through this stream of cometary material, causing tiny fragments — many no larger than a grain of sand — to slam into Earth's atmosphere at around 133,000 mph (214,000 km/h).

— Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Meteor showers tend to put on dazzling celestial shows and happen at predictable times every year when the Earth plows through trails of debris left behind by comets and, sometimes, asteroids.

— Adithi Ramakrishnan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of plows

Verb

In the lawsuit Friday over Golden State Wind, California argues the deal violates the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which gives California input into offshore leasing decisions.

— Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
This violates right-to-delete laws, and worse, hackers can reverse-engineer those leftover AI files to steal sensitive health data.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of violates

Verb

Speeding up experimental work This assembly line setup solves a major engineering limitation in fusion research.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
In her detective series, under the pen name Amanda Cross, an English professor solves murders whose motives include bad psychoanalysis, student riots, and biographers who know too much for their own good.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026