break off — end a relationship or talks
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutraloccasional
To suddenly stop a relationship, discussion, or agreement.
Say it like a native
Textbook The two countries terminated all diplomatic relations.
Native The two countries broke off relations.
'Break off relations/an engagement' is the natural collocation; 'terminated' is formal/legal.
Pattern: break off (sth) | break (sth) off
In use
- They decided to break off their engagement after realizing they wanted different things.relationships
- In my opinion, it's sometimes better to break off negotiations if both sides can't find common ground.IELTS speaking
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.)
Common collocations
break off + relations/talks— the engagement, talks, all contact, negotiations
Don't confuse it
'Break up' is more common for ending romantic relationships, while 'break off' is also used for ending talks or agreements.
Related
- break off (become detached) — Another meaning of 'break off' is 'become detached'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.