break away

break away

1. Literally, to escape from physical restraints. The robber had tied me to a chair, but I was able to break away and flee the house. I had to chase my dog down the street after he broke away during our walk.
2. By extension, to move away or separate from someone or something. I'm starting to break away from the religious tradition I was raised in. That 10-game win streak really helped them to break away from the other teams in the conference. Ultimately, she had to break away from her family and their dysfunctional ways in order to be healthy.
3. To leave or stop a particular activity. I know you have to finish this paper, but can you break away for a bit and talk to your grandparents?
See also: away, break
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

break something away (from something)

to break a part or piece of something away from the whole. She broke a bit away and popped it into her mouth. Todd broke away a piece from the bar of candy.
See also: away, break

break away

 (from someone) and break free (from someone); break loose (from someone)
1. Lit. to get free of the physical hold of someone. I tried to break away from him, but he was holding me too tight. She broke free from him, at last. I broke free from the intruder.
2. Fig. to sever a relationship with another person, especially the parent-child relationship. He found it hard to break away from his mother. She was almost thirty before she finally broke free.
See also: away, break
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

break away

1. Leave hurriedly, escape, get loose. For example, The boy tried to break away, but his mother held onto his coat, or On the last lap the horse broke away from the pack. [First half of 1500s]
2. Sever connections with a group. For example, It was hard for me to break away from that organization, but I knew it was necessary.
3. Stop doing something, as in She broke away from work long enough to go out for lunch.
See also: away, break
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

break away

v.
1. To separate or detach something in order to clear a space: It was easier to dig through the snow once we had broken the icy crust away.
2. To separate or detach oneself: Our politics began to change, so we broke away from the political party we had belonged to. The ice on the shore began to break away once the weather got warmer.
3. To move rapidly away from or ahead of a group: The cyclist broke away from the pack and was soon very far ahead.
See also: away, break
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • break loose
  • break loose from
  • break loose from (someone or something)
  • make good (one's) escape
  • make good your escape
  • getaway
  • get away
  • Get away!
  • get clean away
  • break free
References in periodicals archive
Protester Jim Craig, said: "The idea was to break away from the main protest and make for Charing Cross.
War in the Gulf: Police arrest five as protesters try to bring the M8 to a standstill
But that same pitch would be difficult to drag-bunt because the hitter would be leaning the wrong way (away from first base) when he bunted the ball and thus get a slow break away from the plate.
Bunting for a base hit. (Baseball)
Joe Connolly, chairman of Gowran Park, said yesterday: "We may be making ourselves unpopular, but we feel we have to put our heads on the block and break away from the AIR line.
Gowran breaks ranks over merger plan
Located in a former warehouse, Break Away (www.breakaway.org) is funded primarily by AT&T, Pacific Telesis and the Strom Family Foundation.
Reading, writing & ram; our schools need private industry and government aid to make education and technology a winning combination
The submersible descended along the vertical walls of the crater, past giant obelisk-shaped rocks ready to break away from the cliff face.
Hawaii's next island suffers setback
Tremper also conducts a series of tests to see how much force is needed to make the snowpack shear and break away. For example, he isolates a column of snow and taps it progressively harder until the snow breaks away.
Avalanche ahead
At one end, vertical slabs would break away from the wall to form separate departments and conference halls.
Urban flight
Only when NPR makes certain that it does "not have that commercial bent at all" (to return to the quote from Delano Lewis) can it truly be called "public" radio; and only when NPR rids itself of the twin perils of corporate money and government meddling can it possibly break away from the commercial pack and regularly air those "alternative points of view" so often rendered mute in our national dialogues.
The broken promise of public radio
But if you know the problem is with the ideology, then that won't be as easy to break away from," he tweeted.
Sources: Syria's Al-Nusra Front 'to Cut Ties' with Al-Qaeda
So it would be easy for a federal state that has gotten stronger to break away from the country later on, he said in a recent forum.
Let's go easy on federalism, says Trillanes
Break Away Belize Travel has a limited number of slots for visitors who want to dive with whale sharks, and they offer special whale shark diving vacation packages at affordable rates.
Break Away Belize Travel Announces 2016 Whale Shark Diving Dates
TODAY will be the busiest day at the start of the year to book a break away, it has been claimed.
Today's the day to book a wee break
Jobless rates and the listless economic situation have played a key role in pushing many Catalans to want to break away from Spain.
Catalonia Polls Boost Pro-Independence Parties
Councillors yesterday agreed to let Moor End Technology College break away from Kirklees.
'Terrible' school change