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 After breaking a 37-year Triple Crown drought, American Pharoah went on to win the Haskell and Breeders’ Cup Classic, as well as take second at the Travers. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026 Citizen, off-duty trooper credited with saving lives Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter who covers cold case investigations, the death penalty and breaking news for USA TODAY. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026 Tucker went 2-for-3 with a walk in the win, breaking the latest slump in his debut season with Los Angeles after going 3-for-19 in his previous seven games. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026 Winning rivalry games is important, but so is breaking big losing streaks. — Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 4 Aug. 2026 Then, work backwards, breaking the project into tasks that can be accomplished in the days leading up to your final due date. — Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 The club have responded by spending over £250m ($330m) on improving their squad this summer, twice breaking their transfer record with the signings of midfielders Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali. — Jay Harris, New York Times, 22 July 2026 The Florida Keys just got its second undersea habitat, where researchers can spend days working and living without breaking the water’s surface. — Alex Harris july 15, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026 Gus is now the world's most valuable dinosaur, breaking the previous record set by a stegosaurus skeleton called Apex, which was sold at a Sotheby's auction in 2024, according to the release. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 14 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking
  1. disrupting
  2. stopping
  3. reducing
  4. deciphering
  5. pausing
  6. plowing
  7. violating
  8. solving
Verb
  • Persistent heatwaves are not only driving up the cost of keeping society running and disrupting companies' production and operations, but are also putting pressure on European economic growth.
    — , CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The Dodgers pulled off the trade without disrupting their major-league squad.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of disrupting
Verb
  • Nikki Rodriguez’s character might still technically be dating Alex, but that isn’t stopping her from flirting with his brother after confessing her love in the season 2 finale.
    — Kat Pettibone, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The flight originated in El Paso, Texas, after stopping at Opa-locka Executive Airport in Miami-Dade County.
    — Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of stopping
Verb
  • Following numerous noise complaints, the town is requiring players to use a new noise-reducing ball that is far more expensive than a regular ball.
    — Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • The company, which generated approximately $10 billion in revenue in 2025, is increasingly embedding AI across its equipment, digital platforms and dealer network to help farmers improve yields while reducing costs.
    — Peter High, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of reducing
Verb
  • Western San Gabriel Mountains/Highway 14 Corridor When an air quality alert pops up on the radar, deciphering its implications is crucial.
    — Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 30 July 2026
  • Jonestown afflicted Naipaul’s vision, his way of deciphering not just political manias but the dreariness of urban life, the perpetual doom of the nuclear-arms race.
    — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026
Definition of deciphering
Verb
  • In November 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a temporary order pausing the enactment of SB 261.
    — Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • The finale, which opens with Max pausing to observe a small courtesy before committing an atrocity on Crystal’s houseboat, closes with the Bowdens reaching for ordinary family life after surviving an atrocity of their own.
    — JP Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026
Definition of pausing
Verb
  • The ship held almost 1,500 people, most of whom were émigrés who planned to stop over briefly in Liverpool before plowing backward to the cities of their birth.
    — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Both companies are plowing cash into their businesses, buying gear and building data centers to expand their cloud and AI services.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 27 July 2026
Definition of plowing
Verb
  • Rezaei accused Washington of violating the memorandum of understanding and launching attacks without first referring the issue to the dispute resolution committee.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The genocide case is before the International Court of Justice, where South Africa has accused Israel of violating the Genocide Convention.
    — Arielle Kaden, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of violating
Verb
  • Nearly sixteen years after a San Francisco man was found fatally stabbed inside his apartment, police are seeking information in solving the cold case.
    — Tim Fang, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Despite solving the problem effectively and immediately, controversy abounds with this method.
    — Mark Vrtiska, The Conversation, 30 July 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 7 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of breaking for Spanish Speakers

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