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breaking away

breaking away

5 5.0
An act of leaving a group suddenly to be on your own
  • noun
translation icon : separación
  • "A group started breaking away and fleeing," the second military official said.
  • way of breaking away

Well, tension can mean breaking away from the conversation for a moment, maybe to talk to somebody else, but then finding ways to reinitiate.

Examples

  • One example would be Taiwan's breaking away from China.

    Academic text (1996)
  • One of the greatest challenges for those of us who received sight-before-sound music instruction is breaking away from tradition and teaching in a way that was not part of our own experience.

    Academic text (2006)
  • There is no solution other than breaking away from the Pope.

  • I had decided the day before to try breaking away from him slowly.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Though Lisa stepped into the new college student role, she was cautious about breaking away from thoughts and actions of her past high school life.

    Academic text (2006)
  • And most probably, it is the longing for breaking away from the suffocating environment that motivates James's violence and subsequent escape.

    Academic text (2005)
  • The parameters of the challenge allow students to explore and experiment in a nonrestrictive environment, breaking away from the prescriptive methods employed in many CAD lessons.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Adults and children raced around, bumping hips and shoulders, some of them breaking away, bouncing in and out of the circle, ducking beneath arms.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • After years of frustration, she finally made the decision to break away from the group and pursue her own path.

  • The country announced its plan for breaking away from the alliance, aiming for greater independence in decision-making.

Synonyms

separation
vsbreaking away
89 2.6

The process of moving apart or staying apart

is typically sudden and focused on becoming independent rather than general splitting
withdrawal
vsbreaking away
  • Formal
39 5.0

Leaving a group, country, or agreement

is often sudden and aimed at independence rather than a formal process
breakaway
vsbreaking away
22 4.7

An act of leaving a group to be independent or a sudden move ahead in a race

is more about sudden independent action rather than forming something new
detachment
vsbreaking away
4 6.1

The act of separating something from the thing it is connected to

is more often a sudden personal break to gain independence rather than neutral removal
leaving
vsbreaking away
4 1.0

The act of going away from a place or person

is more about exiting a group suddenly to act independently rather than simple travel
parting of the ways
vsbreaking away
2 6.1

A time when people or groups separate and go different ways

is usually one side acting alone suddenly to be independent rather than mutual divergence
disengagement
vsbreaking away
1 6.5

The act of stopping a connection or ending involvement with something

is more about sudden independent departure rather than gradual withdrawal
disaffiliation
vsbreaking away
  • Formal
1 8.0

Ending membership or connection with a group

is often sudden and implies acting independently rather than only formal status
dissociation
vsbreaking away
1 7.8

The act of separating something from a group or connection

is usually a quick intentional break to act independently rather than neutral removal
break-off
vsbreaking away
4.3

An ending of a relationship or agreement, often sudden

is more about leaving to act independently than only sudden ending

Antonyms

1.0

To remain in one place and not leave

1 2.3

An act of bringing two people or things together to connect them

How Independent

to secede
  • Formal
34 8.5
breaking away
5 5.0
split
9 4.2
leaving
4 1.0

Surface Forms

breaking away singular

Morphology

break + away

The noun 'breaking away' literally describes an act of separating or leaving and this meaning is directly and predictably built from 'break' (to separate/force apart) + 'away' (from a place or group). This verb+particle composition follows a standard, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Breaking away comes from the strong image of something breaking off and moving away, like a branch snapping from a tree and falling away from the trunk. That picture of forceful separation is why breaking away means 'leaving' or 'separating' from a group or situation.