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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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
Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
The couple broke up in December, then got back together in January 2023 — a month before the domestic violence incident that prompted Paul's arrest.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 20 Mar. 2026
Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 20 Mar. 2026
While plenty of their 2010s power-pop peers have reunited, the members of Cayetana are making the most of their breakup.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, Pitchfork, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break up
Verb
Carroll keeper Graham Byrne did not have to break up much of a sweat as the contest was mostly played with Legacy on the defense.
—Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
The couple broke up in December, then got back together in January 2023 — a month before the domestic violence incident that prompted Paul's arrest.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 20 Mar. 2026
Noun
Doug’s response to Taylor’s Bachelorette cancellation While Bachelor Nation fans will never see the breakup between Taylor and Doug air on The Bachelorette, Doug released a statement on Season 22’s cancellation in an Instagram Video on March 20.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 20 Mar. 2026
While plenty of their 2010s power-pop peers have reunited, the members of Cayetana are making the most of their breakup.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, Pitchfork, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up
Verb
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The hearing occurred the same day that CBS News imposed another sweeping round of layoffs and disbanded its CBS News radio network.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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The commission has been disbanded, and the lottery is now overseen by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.—
Dave Lieber,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Her 15-year-old son can be heard in the background pleading with his mom and the officer to stop.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2026
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Mason McTavish and Troy Terry also scored for the Ducks, while John Carlson had three assists and Lukas Dostal stopped 27 shots.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Republicans now plan to give the measure an up-or-down vote in a bid to divide Democrats.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Mar. 2026
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This discussion comes during a critical time for Ag Reserve landowners, many of whom are divided between wanting to develop on their land and leaving agriculture behind.—
Abigail Hasebroock,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Five Bruins landed in the first round, and four cracked the top 10.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
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Its original Broadway run was a financial disaster and the book has been hard to crack.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Van Ackers delivered photos of the spouting fountain, which had ceased operating in 2012, to every member of the California Legislature.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
23 Mar. 2026
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Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters International and humanitarian rights organizations are calling for attacks on health care workers and medical facilities in Lebanon to cease.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Almanac installed the unit without building a new facility or disrupting production.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
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With the conflict having disrupted much of the world's oil supplies, markets remain highly sensitive to any headline suggesting either escalation or diplomacy.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That wasn’t going to stop her from at least trying to make her teammates laugh a little bit.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2026
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The incident made international headlines and a laughing stock out of Cheney.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Beam credited his team’s execution in gaining a split.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2026
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The Mets lost a pair of split-squad games, going down 3-1 to the Washington Nationals in West Palm Beach, and 7-5 at home.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20up. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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