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.
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
When the ice becomes thin enough, large portions can suddenly detach and break away at once.
From Science Daily ● May 19, 2026
George Washington, for one, feared that the area west of the Appalachians might soon break away because it was so remote and it traded via the Mississippi River and New Orleans, then in Spanish hands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
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
It filled me up, and I felt a part of me break away.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
