The Phrasal Verb 'Break Off' Explained
- Phrasal Verbs Explained
- Jan 16
- 9 min read
An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'break off' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context
Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native.
This post is all about the wonderfully diverse phrasal verb 'break off'. Is it one that you are familiar with and do you know the different ways to use it? In this post, I will explain all of its different applications, from physically separating something to playing snooker, and I will give you lots of example sentences in context to show you how we use each one. So, without further ado, let's make a start.....
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one)
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THE BASICS
BREAK OFF: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 4 |
Past tense forms | Broke off / Broken off |
Separable? | Yes |
The phrasal verb 'break off' is formed of the verb 'to break' and the prepositional particle 'off' and so before we look at the different meanings of 'break off', let's first take a moment to consider the individual meanings of 'break' and 'off' on their own.
Break - The verb 'to break' is a common verb whose primary meaning is 'to stop something from working or functioning as normal'. This could be damaging part of it or also to separate a part of it using force. In addition to this, 'to break' has many other meanings in English, which include 'to interrupt something', 'to become public' (news) and 'to disobey a law or rule'. As with many common verbs in English, 'to break' is an irregular verb.
The thieves broke a window to enter the shop.
Be careful with this; I don't want you to break it!
Susan has broken her leg in a skiing accident.
People who break the law will be punished.
The news broke about the birth of the new princess this morning.
Off - The prepositional particle 'off' is a word with many different meanings and uses in English and functions as the natural opposite of the particle 'on'. When used in phrasal verbs it can add various ideas to the main verb like separation or disconnection (cut off), stopping (turn off), departure (set off) and decrease (fall off), among others.
So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the wonderful phrasal verb 'break off'....
MEANING 1: To separate something by force
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To tear off, to rip off, to separate, to divide, to sever, to detach |
Separable? | Yes |
I will begin my explanation of the phrasal verb 'break off' with the easiest and most common of its different applications, which is 'to separate something by force'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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When this first meaning of 'break off' is used in English, it is to describe when a piece of something becomes physically removed or detached from its larger, main part. This is typically done by a force of some kind.
We arrive at this meaning by combining the literal meanings of the two words: using force to separate something from 'to break' with the idea of separation that we get from the particle 'off', underlining this idea.
This application of 'break off' can be used in two different ways: when the breaking action is intentional and we state what caused the breaking off action and intransitively and when the action is unintentional and we talk about how something is separated from the whole by force but we don't say who or what did it.
Let's first consider when we break something off intentionally, which is the most common of the two varieties. This is typically used when you use your hands to separate something such as piece of bread from a loaf or a square or two of chocolate from a bar.
On a grammatical note, this is a transitive usage with a direct object (the thing that is separated) and is therefore separable, however most people tend to use it in the inseparable way: break off + object + from whole....
Josh broke off a branch from the tree.
My sister broke off a piece of chocolate and handed it to me.
The angry little boy broke off part of the toy by pulling too hard.
Workers started to break off chunks of ice from the frozen pipe.
Libby, please can you break off some bread and pass the loaf on to your friends.
The intruders broke the handle off while trying to force the door.
Here are some examples of 'break off' used without a direct object when we do not say who or what caused the 'breaking off' action or it is not the focus of what we are saying....
A large branch broke off from the tree during the storm.
Pieces of rock broke off and fell into the water below.
One of the wheels broke off while the car was driving on the highway.
Several tiles have broken off from the roof as a result of the high winds.
Ice broke off the edge of the glacier and fell into the valley below.
A button broke off Millie's coat.
Part of the statue broke off after many years of erosion.
MEANING 2: To end a relationship
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To break up, to split up, to separate, to end |
Separable? | Yes |
Our second application of the phrasal verb 'break off' is another fairly common one that means 'to end a relationship'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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You may be familiar with the phrasal verb 'break up' to mean 'to end a romantic relationship' but did you know that we can also use 'break off' to mean the same thing?
You should note however that whilst these two phrasal verbs have similar meanings, they are used slightly differently by speakers. Firstly, we can use 'break off' to mean to end any relationship, whether that be a romantic one, a friendship, a business arrangement or even stopping contact with another person. It is mainly used to talk about romance though. 'Break up', on the other hand, tends to be used only in the context of a romantic relationship.
Moreover, we typically use 'break off' in this sense to talk about when someone decides to end a relationship in a deliberate or abrupt manner. Sometimes, it is both people in the relationship who make the decision together but most of the time it is used for when one person alone decides.
Grammatically, this usage is technically separable, however we tend to use it more in the unseparated way with the construction: break off + relationship / friendship etc. The only exception to this would be when we are using the pronoun 'it', which always needs to go between 'break' and 'off'.
One final distinction to make between the two here is that 'break up' does not take a direct object, whereas 'break off' does. For example, if a couple decides to separate, you would say that "they broke up". However, it would be incorrect to say "they broke off" because you need a direct object and therefore need to say "they broke off their relationship" or "they broke it off".
Leanne broke off the relationship after months of arguing.
Adam decided to break off his engagement to Emma as he didn't love her anymore.
Lesley and Alex broke off their romance when they realised they wanted different things.
Sandra broke it off as soon as she found out the truth.
Joseph was afraid to break off things completely.
My parents agreed to break off their relationship amicably.
The model broke off the affair with the politician before it became public.
Jonathan finally broke off contact with his former partner.
MEANING 3: To stop speaking
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To cut off, to pause |
Separable? | No |
Is it just me or do you also find it really annoying when someone is speaking to you and saying something interesting and then they suddenly stop, leaving you waiting in suspense? It is in these frustrating situations that you can use our third meaning of 'break off', which is 'to stop speaking'.
Firstly, let me clarify that 'break off' does not mean to stop speaking completely like you have lost the ability to talk but rather when you are in the middle of a conversation with someone and then stop speaking, often in a sudden or unexpected way.
When we use this application of 'break off' it is usually when there is some sort of interruption, hesitation or emotional impact on the speaker. It might be that the person speaking is talking about something that makes them sad, so they stop speaking to prevent them from crying, or it may be that the person is talking to you and they see something more interested on their cellphone during the conversation that steals their attention.
Carl broke off in mid-sentence when he realised what he’d said.
Michelle broke off abruptly as someone entered the room.
The speaker broke off, clearly unsure how to continue.
My Dad started talking about his deceased brother, then broke off and looked away.
Jenny broke off to answer the phone, leaving me in suspense about what had happened at her birthday party.
Tim broke off suddenly, leaving an awkward silence.
You should note that we can also use this application of 'break off' to talk about when we stop doing something in an abrupt or sudden way, however this is much less common. Regardless of the action, the action that is 'broken off' is always known in the context as it will have been mentioned or implied before.
The factory workers broke off when the alarm sounded.
Mike broke off what he was doing to answer the door.
Jessica broke off halfway through the task when she felt unwell.
MEANING 4: To begin a game of snooker
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To break, to start |
Separable? | No |
We have now come to our fourth and final meaning of the phrasal verb 'break off', which is one for those of you who enjoy playing cue sports like snooker or pool and means 'to begin a game'.
If you are familiar with playing snooker, pool or billiards then you will know that at the beginning of each game, the balls are all placed in a triangular formation. To start the game, one of the two players then hits the white ball into the triangle to scatter the balls. This action is known as 'breaking off'.
From my own personal experience, I have never known this action described as 'breaking off' but rather just 'breaking' on its own, so you if you do enjoy playing these sports, you should know that both of these terms can be used 😃
One other thing to note is that the noun 'break-off' also exists to refer to the first shot that starts the game.
The defending champion broke off with a cautious safety shot.
Peter won the toss and broke off first.
The referee asked the players who would break off the frame.
Margaret prefers to let her opponent break off.
Higgins broke off aggressively in the deciding frame.
After a short delay, the match resumed and Allen broke off.
Whoever breaks off sets the tone for the game.
If you are interested in snooker, here is a video that shows you the best way to break off:
We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'break off'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts.
Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'break off'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!!
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THE END
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