To suddenly stop a relationship, discussion, or agreement.
They decided to break off their engagement after realizing they wanted different things.
A: How are the business talks going? B: Not well. We had to break them off because we couldn't agree on the terms.
In my opinion, it's sometimes better to break off negotiations if both sides can't find common ground.
Common mistake
✗They broke off with the talks.
✓They broke off the talks. / They broke off negotiations.
'Break off' takes the object directly — no 'with'. ('Break up with' is for couples.)
Tell it apart
They broke off the engagement.
ended it — formal
They broke up last month.
a couple split — everyday
Use 'break off' when something ends suddenly, especially a conversation, negotiation, or engagement.'Break up' is more common for ending romantic relationships, while 'break off' is also used for ending talks or agreements.
To separate or come away from something by breaking.
Be careful with that chair—one of the legs might break off if you lean back too far.
A: What happened to your headphones? B: One of the ear pieces broke off when I dropped them.
During the experiment, a small part of the glass tube broke off, so we had to start over.
Common mistake
✗The branch broke off of the tree in the storm.
✓The branch broke off the tree in the storm. / A branch broke off in the storm.
Drop the extra 'of' — it's 'break off (the tree)', not 'break off of'.
Tell it apart
A chunk of chocolate broke off.
a piece came away
They broke off the engagement.
ended it — different sense
Use 'break off' when a piece comes away from something, often with force.'Fall off' means to drop by itself, while 'break off' means to separate by breaking.