break away

Idioms  

1. 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]

2. Sever connections with a group. For example, It was hard for me to break away from that organization, but I knew it was necessary .

3. Stop doing something, as in She broke away from work long enough to go out for lunch .

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Example Sentences

Although scientists understand many of the mutations that lead to tumor formation, no single genetic change explains why some cells break away and migrate while others remain in place.

From Science Daily

“She was just going to tell me about her elephant,” he protested loudly, tugging at my hand, trying to break away from me.

From Literature

"Exposed rock ledges, sections of ice breaking away and glacier tongues collapsing in on themselves are increasingly shaping the landscape."

From BBC

We moved faster now than we had since the island broke away.

From Literature

As we went down the road, a girl of about my age broke away from the group of girls and came over to us.

From Literature