break off
verb
broke off; broken off; breaking off; breaks off
1
: to stop abruptly
break off in the middle of a sentence
2
: to become detached
branches that broke off in the storm
3
: to end a relationship
broke off with his business partner
1
: discontinue
break off diplomatic relations
2
: to remove by or as if by breaking
broke off a chunk of bread
Synonyms
Examples of break off in a Sentence
the judge broke off court proceedings until after lunch
talks between the two sides broke off when one began making unreasonable demands
Recent Examples on the Web
After questioning his maturity for most of their time together, Hannah Jiles broke off her tumultuous relationship with Nick Dorka weeks before walking down the aisle.
—
Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
An Italian woman surfing an island break off the west coast of Sumatra died in a freak accident when a swordfish impaled her, according to reports.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 22 Oct. 2024
But the Cubs broke off to form the Marquee Sports Network in 2020, and regional sports networks, long the cash cow of pay TV, have struggled financially in recent years as cord-cutting takes its toll on the cable bundle.
—Chicago Tribune, 21 Oct. 2024
The jet stream usually pens the polar vortex in and keeps it there, but at times, some of the vortex can break off or move south, bringing extremely cold weather down into the U.S., Europe and Asia.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for break off 
Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
An Italian woman surfing an island break off the west coast of Sumatra died in a freak accident when a swordfish impaled her, according to reports.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 22 Oct. 2024
But the Cubs broke off to form the Marquee Sports Network in 2020, and regional sports networks, long the cash cow of pay TV, have struggled financially in recent years as cord-cutting takes its toll on the cable bundle.
—Chicago Tribune, 21 Oct. 2024
The jet stream usually pens the polar vortex in and keeps it there, but at times, some of the vortex can break off or move south, bringing extremely cold weather down into the U.S., Europe and Asia.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for break off
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'break off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near break off
Cite this Entry
“Break off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/break%20off. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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