break-off

Deverbal from break off.

break-off (plural break-offs)

1. That which breaks off, or is broken off
   • 2011, Vijay P. Singh, Pratap Singh, Umesh K. Haritashya, Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers, page 767:

     Stable glacier advance and retreat Advancing glaciers may inundate land, override installations (e.g., hydropower installations), dam rivers and form lakes, cause ice break-offs when the glacier advances over a cliff, etc.

2. A break, discontinuance, or interruption
   • 2016, Tim Baarslag, Exploring the Strategy Space of Negotiating Agents:

     All break-offs occur due to the deadline being reached or an occasional agent crash on a big domain.

3. (billiards, snooker) The first shot in a game of snooker or other cue-game

• breakoff

break-off

1. Nonstandard form of break off (“to play the first shot in a frame of snooker, billiards or pool”).

• off break