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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012-
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.
He broke off relations with the Soviet Union after Nikita Khrushchev de-Stalinized Moscow.
He abruptly broke off that engagement, however, after about two weeks.
From New York Times
A week ago, the GDL broke off the recent round of negotiations that lasted a month.
From BBC
A heart attack or stroke may occur if an atherosclerotic plaque inside the blood vessels ruptures or parts of it break off.
From Science Daily
That spring, as Russian troops broke off an attempt to seize the capital, Kyiv, the names of suburban communities like Bucha became synonymous with stories of Ukrainian civilians tortured and murdered.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
