From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbreak off phrasal verb1 PAUSEto suddenly stop talking She started to speak, then broke off while a waitress served us coffee. He broke off in mid-sentence to shake hands with the new arrivals.break something ↔ off I broke off the conversation and answered the phone.2 RELATIONSHIP break something ↔ off to end a relationship She broke off their engagement only a few weeks before they were due to be married. The US has broken off diplomatic relations with the regime.3 BREAKif something breaks off, or if you break it off, it comes loose and is no longer attached to something else One of the car’s wing mirrors had broken off.break something ↔ off He broke off a piece of bread. → break→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
break off• A military cargo plane made an emergency landing when one of the propellers broke off.• I gave it a tug and the zipper broke off.• She broke off a bit of bread and dipped it in the soup.• The Senator has been urged to break off all links with arms companies.• Kathleen was just telling me about her new car when she suddenly broke off and ran to the window.• "It's not that I wanted to..." he broke off and sighed.• In the wake of the bombing, the UK is threatening to break off diplomatic relations.• Icebergs break off from the ice sheets and float southwards.• I was sorry to break off his conversation with Margaret, but I had to leave.• Break a leaf off the bush, rub it between your fingers, and smell the lemony scent.• His girlfriend has just told him that she wants to break off their engagement.• Part of it broke off when I touched it.• When the dough is chilled, break pieces of the dough off with your fingers, and roll into small balls.broken off ... relations• I seemed to have a separate brain for each limb, but they'd all broken off diplomatic relations. 