break the cycle

verb

To act so as to end a repeating pattern of harmful or otherwise negative behavior.

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Meanings

verbbreak the cycle (third-person singular simple present breaks the cycle, present participle breaking the cycle, simple past broke the cycle, past participle broken the cycle)

present singular third person breaks the cycle · participle present breaking the cycle · past broke the cycle · participle past broken the cycle

  1. idiomaticTo act so as to end a repeating pattern of harmful or otherwise negative behavior.
Cite this entry
APA

break the cycle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20the%20cycle

MLA

“break the cycle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20the%20cycle. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “break the cycle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20the%20cycle.

Source: break the cycle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.