break off
phr. v..phr. v.. to suddenly stop doing something, like talking or being in a relationship with someone.
phr. v.. to abruptly terminate a discourse, relationship, or negotiation; can also refer to the physical detachment of a piece from a larger whole.
They decided to break off their engagement.
She was telling a story but had to break off when the phone rang.
The diplomatic mission chose to break off negotiations after the latest round of talks failed to produce a viable compromise.
often used with abstract nouns like 'relations', 'talks', or 'engagement', or used intransitively when a speaker stops talking.
distinguish between the literal sense (snapping a piece of chocolate) and the figurative sense (ending a relationship); the figurative sense is common in news and formal contexts.
They broke off it.They broke it off.when used for physical objects, this phrasal verb is separable, so the pronoun must go between the verb and the particle.