break off

1. 1.

   interrupt before its natural or planned end

   “We had to cut short our vacation”

   Synonymscut shortbreak short

   Broaderinterrupt

   Narrowerhang up
2. 2.

   prevent completion

   “stop the project”

   “break off the negotiations”

   Synonymsbreakdiscontinuestop

   Broaderend

   Narrowerfracturebog downinterrupt
3. 3.

   break off (a piece from a whole)

   “Her tooth chipped”

   Synonymschipchip offcome offbreak away

   Broaderseparate

   Narrowerpeel offexfoliate
4. 4.

   break a piece from a whole

   “break a branch from a tree”

   Synonymsbreaksnap off

   Broaderdetach
5. 5.

   break a small piece off from

   “chip the glass”

   “chip a tooth”

   Synonymschipknapcut off

   Broadercut

Questions about break off

What does break off mean?

break off means "interrupt before its natural or planned end". That is the primary sense; the word has 5 in total, listed in full on this page.

What is another word for break off?

Close synonyms include cut short, break short, break, discontinue, stop. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is break off a common word?

break off is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.