Break
Break verb - To stop functioning.
Usage example: after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
Malfunction and break are semantically related in stop working topic. In some cases you can use "Malfunction" instead a verb "Break".
Malfunction
Malfunction verb - Fail to function or function improperly.
Usage example: the coffee maker malfunctioned
Break and malfunction are semantically related in crash topic. Sometimes you can use "Break" instead a verb "Malfunction".
Nearby Words: malfunctioning, malfunctioned
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| brief | brief break | brief malfunction |
| single | single break | single malfunction |
| actual | actual break | actual malfunction |
| real | real break | real malfunction |
| Other adjectives: severe, massive, serious, slight, infamous, major, possible, minor, apparent, temporary, classic, last, sudden, magical. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- If they break or malfunction, her mentality regresses to that of a violently insane child.
-
Canootin' valves just love to break or malfunction in this series, and everything seems to have at least one.
- The gunsmith curse, which is the only curse that covers the entirety of the Dragon's Maw, causes all manner of firearms to malfunction or break down upon use.
Cite this Source
Malfunction and Break. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/malfunction
Break & Malfunction. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/malfunction>.
Malfunction or Break. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/malfunction.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "break" and "malfunction" have occurred on timeline