Synonyms: Break

From cracking eggs to shattering silence to halting momentum, this list delves into the realm of interruption and disruption, offering words to describe every fracture and rupture in the course of events.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. breach
    an opening, especially a gap in a dike or fortification
    Once we clear the breach in the northern wall, I pause and look back. Dread Nation
  2. cessation
    a stopping
    Chicago’s Commercial and Financial Chronicle reported, “Never before has there been such a sudden and striking cessation of industrial activity.” The Devil in the White City
  3. chasm
    a deep opening in the earth's surface
    There were fissures and chasms in the walls and floor, and every now and then a crack would open right before their feet. The Fellowship of the Ring
  4. cleft
    a long narrow opening
    The cleft in the rock was barely large enough for man and horse to pass, but beyond, the walls opened up and the floor turned to soft sand. A Clash of Kings
  5. crash
    break violently or noisily
    Pictures fall off the walls and crash violently, and finally my instincts take over. The Manifestor Prophecy
  6. disruption
    an act or event that causes a delay or break in an ongoing activity
    I tell her I tried to respect her day as much as I knew how, and that I hope not to have caused any disruption in her life. Every Day
  7. division
    discord that splits a group
    The division between the countries was going to destroy everyone before the iron monsters could! Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
  8. entr'acte
    the interlude between two sections of a play
    It is written in five "acts," with entr'actes that often bring in briefly-mentioned side characters and expand upon them.
    – Salon
  9. fissure
    a long narrow opening
    Now he wedged his claws into a fissure and stretched upwards, gaining inch by inch. Redwall
  10. fracture
    break into pieces
    They are hard but can fracture easily, like glass, and have non-stick surfaces. BusinessWeek
  11. fragment
    break or cause to break into pieces
    The old rules had changed, fragmented, broken into bits. The Old Willis Place
  12. gap
    a narrow opening
    Sunlight trickled in through gaps in the ceiling. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
  13. gulf
    a deep wide chasm
    Looking at it gave her a sense of vertigo, as if she were looking not up but down, and across a gulf so wide that nothing could ever pass over it. The Golden Compass
  14. hiatus
    an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
    She goes on to explain the origins of the pageant and how it went on hiatus during World War II and again when Kennedy was assassinated. Dumplin'
  15. interlude
    an intervening period or episode
    Actually, I’m what a romantic movie is to a profound thinker—a mere diversion, a comic interlude, something that is soon forgotten: not bad, but not particularly good either. The Diary of a Young Girl
  16. intermission
    a time during which something is temporarily stopped or delayed
    The houselights go down again, signaling the end of intermission. Will Grayson, Will Grayson
  17. lacuna
    a blank gap or missing part
    My minimal coverage of Japan in previous editions of Guns, Germs, and Steel constituted the most important geographic lacuna of my book. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
  18. lull
    a pause during which things are calm
    If there hadn’t been a sudden lull, Alex would never have heard the men coming. Stormbreaker
  19. pause
    temporary inactivity
    After a long pause I realize her last sentence is a question. The Adoration of Jenna Fox
  20. recess
    a pause from doing something (as work)
    When I had finished, the magistrate ordered a ten-minute recess to consider the sentence. Long Walk to Freedom
  21. rend
    tear or be torn violently
    Instantly his followers scrambled into the bushes as their Chief ripped the tapestry into shreds, his mighty claws rending and tearing as he roared madly: “It’s a fake, a copy, worthless trash. Aaaaaarrgh!” Redwall
  22. rent
    an opening made forcibly as by pulling apart
    “It isn’t likely,” Carroll, who glanced down at a big rent in his jacket, replied with a trace of dryness. The Protector
  23. respite
    a pause from doing something
    My hopes for a blissful two-week respite from Central High over Christmas vacation had been dashed by the dilemma we all faced because of Minnijean’s suspension. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High
  24. rift
    a narrow fissure in rock
    Here was the place he had described, where suddenly, in this massed section of boulders, was a rift, a deep gap in the rocks, a place where she must jump to the next foothold. Son
  25. rupture
    separate or cause to separate abruptly
    Then he removed the stitches too early and the wound ruptured. Three Little Words: A Memoir
  26. schism
    division of a group into opposing factions
    The schism over slavery finally cracked the country wide open. A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919
  27. separation
    the act of dividing or disconnecting
    America seemed a society moving rapidly toward a greater accommodation of its diverse population; South Africa on the other hand was moving with equal speed, if not more, toward a total separation of all races. Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography
  28. severance
    a personal or social separation
    To symbolize the complete severance from his previous life, he even adopted a new name. Into the Wild
  29. shatter
    break into many pieces
    The windows cracked and shattered to pieces, letting in a blast of fresh air. The Battle of the Labyrinth
  30. smash
    break into pieces
    He threw the rest of the bottles on the floor, smashing all of them except for one. The Marvellers
  31. snap
    break suddenly and abruptly
    He wanted to grab the walking stick and snap it in two. Shooting Kabul
  32. splinter
    break up into thin fragments
    The weathered planks splintered beneath the impact, and Ysilla let out a shriek. A Dance with Dragons
  33. split
    separate into parts or portions
    They split ripe coconuts open, broke the thick white meat into chunks that we children grated when we weren’t munching. When I Was Puerto Rican
  34. surcease
    a stopping
    But she continued to toll the bell without a moment’s surcease. Endicott, Ruth Belmore
  35. suspension
    temporary cessation
    She said, "Whether you call it a moratorium, a suspension, or a pause, the result will still be a substantial loss of jobs." Seattle Times
  36. vacation
    leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
    He was on vacation from his job in Assam, where he worked as an assistant manager of a tea estate. The God of Small Things
  37. wreck
    smash or break forcefully
    She told me that her boyfriend, Arlo, wrecked his car and turned out to be a loser. Wish
Created on Wed Apr 10 11:42:27 EDT 2024 (updated Wed May 08 10:48:51 EDT 2024)

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