1
as in to disband
to cease to exist or cause to cease to exist as a group or organization
the band broke up when their arguments over money grew too stressful
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stop
to come to an end
the meeting broke up when all the business for the day had been completed
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3
as in to divide
to set or force apart
he broke up the rocks in the old stone wall with a crowbar, sending them tumbling to the ground
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4
as in to crack
to yield to mental or emotional stress
the sort of person who would be among the first to break up in a prisoner of war camp
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5
as in to cease
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
police arrived at the scene and immediately broke up the fracas
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to disrupt
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
break up the feta cheese and spread it over the salad
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7
as in to laugh
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound
if you break up during the skit, the audience will know that you're in on the joke
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as in split
the act or process of a whole separating into two or more parts or pieces
the breakup of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism pretty much signaled the end of the Cold War
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break up
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
For several days, violence has hit part of the city as protesters have attacked police called in to break up the protests of immigration raids.
—Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 11 June 2025
Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 10 June 2025
Their friendship quickly became a subject of political fascination, social media criticism and various spoofs — and their breakup has followed the same track.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Verb
For the next four hours, the scene was akin to a party broken up occasionally by tear gas and less-than-lethal projectiles.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
For several days, violence has hit part of the city as protesters have attacked police called in to break up the protests of immigration raids.
—Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 11 June 2025
Noun
The streamer has released a trailer for Too Much, starring Hacks breakout Stalter as Jessica, an American who is spiraling after a breakup and decides to take a job in London to get a fresh start.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 10 June 2025
Their friendship quickly became a subject of political fascination, social media criticism and various spoofs — and their breakup has followed the same track.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up
Verb
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The result is not only the loss of valuable research but also a profound disruption to the scientific enterprise itself—students without funding, labs disbanded, data lost.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
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The latest effort to close the camp came as cities across the Bay Area, including Oakland and San Jose, have ramped up sweeps following a U.S. Supreme Court decision last summer giving local governments broader authority to disband camps even when shelter beds aren’t available.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
4 June 2025
Verb
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California lawmakers are looking to stop local police officers and federal agents from wearing face masks or coverings while carrying out operations in the state.—
Billal Rahman
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 June 2025
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In 2012, the Premier League stopped awarding bottles of Champagne along with man of the match awards, out of respect for the religious beliefs of some players.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Record-Low Absorption Rates Absorption rates in Florida's six bearish markets—calculated as monthly sales divided by available inventory and indicating the percentage of inventory purchased monthly—are at local lows, according to Parcl Labs, and well below the three-year average.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
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Annual passes, divided into four levels by benefits and the number of block-out dates, are selling for $153 and $345.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Because the game can break on slot pass to Sam Bennett, crack a bar.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2025
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Pre-pandemic, 19 out of its 22 films at least cracked $500 million globally.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
12 June 2025
Verb
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Trump signed an order May 2 directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease funding NPR and PBS.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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The company has ceased production and distribution of the products as FDA and the company continue their investigation to correct the issue with the manufacturer.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
Verb
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Globally, heatwaves, droughts, and extreme weather are disrupting supply chains, inflating food prices, and undermining financial stability.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
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These attacks don’t just disrupt operations but also expose deeply personal financial information that can fuel identity theft, fraud and long-term reputational damage.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2025
Verb
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The two cracked up laughing, and not about how Ohtani was swinging the bat.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
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Everyone’s singing, dancing, looking at each other, and laughing.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2025
Noun
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One senior exec who worked for Zaslav at Discovery and WarnerMedia told Deadline the split plan had a certain valedictory quality.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
9 June 2025
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Although that chapter may have closed, neither Gates nor his reps have spoken on the split.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20up. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
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