break away
Idioms-
Leave hurriedly, escape, get loose. For example, The boy tried to break away, but his mother held onto his coat , or On the last lap the horse broke away from the pack . [First half of 1500s]
-
Sever connections with a group. For example, It was hard for me to break away from that organization, but I knew it was necessary .
-
Stop doing something, as in She broke away from work long enough to go out for lunch .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Briefly, for a few laps, Russell and Max Verstappen threatened to break away in the lead while Antonelli was finding a way past Gasly, the two McLarens and Hamilton's Ferrari.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Over that period, they closely followed the condition of the glacier's floating ice tongue, recording the expansion of fractures and watching for signs that a major section might eventually break away.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
That hasn’t stopped individual schools from trying to break away.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The LP is a 13-song project that delves into the complicated heartache of leaving home; what does it mean to break away from the nest where one was raised?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
“This is fantastic. I knew you’d have to break away sooner or later to preserve your mental health.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
