Word Study
breakaway
CIDE DICTIONARY
breakaway, n. [Break + away].
- A wild rush of sheep, cattle, horses, or camels (especially at the smell or the sight of water); a stampede. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
- An animal that breaks away from a herd. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
- an object designed to break off or shatter under impact, as a safety measure. [PJC]
- the sudden emergence of one or more players or contestants from a clustered group, rushing toward a goal, as bicyclists in a race, or baketball players after a rebound has been caught. [PJC]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
breakaway, n.
1 the act or an instance of breaking away or seceding.
2 (attrib.) that breaks away or has broken away; separate.
3 Austral. a stampede, esp. at the sight or smell of water.
4 a false start in a race.
5 Rugby Football an outside second-row forward.
1 the act or an instance of breaking away or seceding.
2 (attrib.) that breaks away or has broken away; separate.
3 Austral. a stampede, esp. at the sight or smell of water.
4 a false start in a race.
5 Rugby Football an outside second-row forward.
THESAURUS
breakaway
Bohemian, abjuratory, alienated, antagonistic, antiestablishment, antipathetic, apostasy, at odds with, at variance with, backsliding, beat, betrayal, bolt, clashing, conflicting, contradicting, contradictory, counter-culture, counteractant, counteracting, counteractive, countervailing, counterworking, cranky, crotchety, defection, dereliction, deserter, desertion, differing, disagreeing, disloyalty, dissentient, dissenting, dissident, extreme, extremistic, factious, faithlessness, far out, free and easy, fringy, going over, heretical, heterodox, hippie, hostile, in opposition, informal, inimical, insurgent, insurrectionary, kinky, maverick, mugwumpian, mugwumpish, mutineering, mutinous, nonconforming, nonconformist, not cricket, not done, not kosher, offbeat, opposing, oppositional, oppugnant, original, perverse, rare, ratting, reactionary, rebel, rebellious, recalcitrant, recherche, recidivation, recidivism, recreancy, recusant, renitent, renunciative, renunciatory, repudiative, repudiatory, repugnant, resistant, revocatory, revolutional, revolutionary, riotous, schism, schismatic, secession, secessionist, sectarian, sectary, seditionary, seditious, separatist, subversive, sui generis, traitorous, treason, treasonable, turbulent, turning traitor, uncommon, unconventional, uncustomary, underground, undreamed-of, unexpected, unfamiliar, unfashionable, unheard-of, unique, unordinary, unorthodox, unthought-of, unusual, unwonted, walkout, way outFor further exploring for "breakaway" in Webster Dictionary Online