Definition of "break-off" [break-off]

• The part of the action of a breech-loading firearm immediately behind the breech. (noun)
• The act of breaking off, separating, or severing connection, company, or relations. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "Using definitions by sociologists of religion, the group wound more likely be termed a 'sect with cult-like tendencies,' that is, a break-off group from Christianity which asserts that they are more authentic to the original teachings of the host religion, more purged of cultural accretions, and use a high degree of tension with the 'established' manifestations of the religion and with the surrounding society in order to create their own organizational identity."
• "If i get a birds-nest or break-off, i switch to the spare with no delay."
• "But in a religion where everyone from the president to the lowly devout woman has the ability to talk with god and receive his instruction; splitting, and the formation of break-off sects and groups is as inevitable as night coming after sunset."