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]
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Sever connections with a group. For example, It was hard for me to break away from that organization, but I knew it was necessary .
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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.
So Beijing is accelerating efforts to develop its own advanced semiconductors and break away from reliance on US hardware.
From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026
Their models suggest that dense ice packed with nutrients can break away from surrounding ice and slowly sink through the shell until it reaches the ocean below.
From Science Daily • Jan. 23, 2026
When it became clear that Museveni did not intend to leave power, some of his former associates started to break away.
From BBC • Jan. 11, 2026
Sometimes you have to break away from heavy, sodden reality and go straight into joyful idiocy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
They break away from the group and dissolve into the shadows.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
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.
