break off
Britishverb
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to sever or detach or be severed or detached
it broke off in my hands
he broke a piece off the bar of chocolate
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(adverb) to end (a relationship, association, etc) or (of a relationship, etc) to be ended
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(intr, adverb) to stop abruptly; halt
he broke off in the middle of his speech
noun
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Stop abruptly, as in The trade talks broke off yesterday . [First half of 1300s]
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Separate, sever a connection, as in The baby broke off the tops of all the flowers , or The new sect has broken off from the established church . [First half of 1500s]
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End a relationship or friendship, as in Mary broke off her engagement to Rob . [Mid-1600s]
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.
Peter Gianopolis, the manager of a Montreal supermarket, said Wednesday he could "already see a difference" in consumer behavior since the Canadian government's decision to break off trade negotiations with Washington.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Then, in March, it agreed to break off its condiment and cooking-product business and combine it with McCormick, the spice company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
The report said it was very likely that the glacier tongue would break off in the coming years, splitting the glacier in two.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
When ovarian cancer develops, cancer cells break off from the tumor.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 9, 2026
The sinking of the Lusitania shocked the American people, helped turn public opinion against Germany, and almost caused the United States to break off relations with Germany.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
