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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of break up
Nik Kowsar, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Bold colors, like persimmon and aqua, break up all the antiques and give the ceiling frescoes (yes, there are multiple) a mod spin.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Following her breakup, Goodwin found comfort with her ex-husband Bert, the father of her three kids, Michael, Tara and David.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Verb
Advertisement In 1963, the Shah introduced land reforms to modernize the countryside by redistributing large estates to small farmers, breaking up control of feudal landlords, and promoting mechanized farming with state credit.
—Nik Kowsar, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Bold colors, like persimmon and aqua, break up all the antiques and give the ceiling frescoes (yes, there are multiple) a mod spin.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
Swift’s 149-show, five-continent expedition encapsulated a tsunami of emotions not just among her fans, but her own journey through a very public breakup, a fling and, as indicated by her engagement to Kelce, knee-buckling love.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Following her breakup, Goodwin found comfort with her ex-husband Bert, the father of her three kids, Michael, Tara and David.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up
Verb
-
From there, Hansen and his bandmates determined the best course of action, and discussions even arose about disbanding the group, which had formed in 1976.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
-
And once the dog is found, the Search Party network disbands.—
Mike Feibus,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The trend shows no signs of stopping.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
To help stop the spread, wash your hands, avoid sick areas, and report symptoms quickly.—
Jenna Anderson,
Health,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The grand jury that approved the charges against Comey was divided, as 14 of the 23 jurors approved the two counts, just over the necessary 12-vote threshold.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
8 Oct. 2025
-
It is calculated by dividing the ‘progress’ (the distance the ball travelled towards the opponent’s goal line) by the ‘sequence time’ (the duration of the sequence).—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Kiper said Beck is among four other quarterbacks who could crack his top five, depending on how the season plays out.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Not a single player that will likely crack the Leafs lineup.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The humble soybean has become a flashpoint in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies after Beijing ceased all purchases from the US.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Guests who fail to comply will be asked to cease smoking.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
On play one, Moore reads the tight end throwback pass and disrupts the catch (or else the tight end might still be running).—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
On one hand, companies like Upwork and Fiverr have suffered as generative AI has disrupted simple contract jobs like copyediting and translation.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Those who pointed and laughed at Stevenson’s lowest football moment last year likely never realized the difficulty of his trek.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Trailer footage reveals tension that seriously ramp-up between Grace and Jackson in their rural home, including shots of Lawrence’s character wondering through an open field with a shotgun, laughing maniacally.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The sack split by Nwosu and Bell forced the only punt of the second half and set up what should have been the game-winning touchdown pass from Sam Darnold to Tory Horton.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
However, when he was asked to be on the sitcom, emotions from the split were still fresh.—
Grace Gavilanes,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20up. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share