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
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2025
Marta and Antonio, partners of many years, quarrel and suddenly break up.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 7 Nov. 2025
The true freshman defensive back paces the Orange’s secondary with eight pass breakups.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Verb
The couple met as students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland in 2001, fell in love (and famously broke up for a time), and in 2010, William proposed atop the foothills of Mount Kenya with his late mother’s iconic sapphire ring.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2025
Marta and Antonio, partners of many years, quarrel and suddenly break up.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
As orbital launches and other space activities have increased, so have the fragments produced by collisions, accidental breakups, spent rocket stages, and more.
—Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 7 Nov. 2025
The true freshman defensive back paces the Orange’s secondary with eight pass breakups.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up
Verb
-
With the victory, Gilmore disbanded the Club from Nowhere.—
Time,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
-
From the time that Soundgarden disbanded, my main focus was bringing Lily into the world.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
On third-and-1 with seven seconds left, Schakel took the snap and tried to spike the ball, which would have stopped the clock and given his team one final play to go for the win.—
Alex Valdes,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Among those who do use an advisor, 26% are considering switching and 18% may stop using an advisor altogether.—
Robert Frank,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Qianlong took a page from the design of private gardens in southern China to make the layout more compact, and divided the site into four connected courtyards, two of which are currently open to the public, from south to north.—
Fred He,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Engineers divide conventional aircraft into three main lightning zones.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In the Zootopia sequel directed by Jared Bush and Bryon Howard, brave rabbit cop Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her friend, the fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), team up again to crack the most perilous and intricate case of their careers.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Democratic senators are split on whether to vote to reopen the government, but Republicans only need a handful of Democrats to crack to end the shutdown.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
From December through February, shuttle service largely ceases (outside of select days and weekends; check shuttle schedules for up-to-date details).—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Meanwhile, over in Britain, a vibrant antiwar movement brought on motion after motion in Parliament to cease fire and end all offensive operations against the rebels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The shutdown has disrupted federal operations, delayed pay for hundreds of thousands of workers, and put critical programs at risk.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Senate Majority Leader John Thune quickly endorsed the deal and called the immediate vote to begin the process of approving it as the shutdown continued to disrupt flights nationwide, threaten food assistance for millions of Americans and leave federal workers without pay.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Their enthusiasm for muddy adventures and water play is almost unmatched, often leaving their owners laughing, and, in this case, reaching for the hose.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Byrne and Gaonkar stopped by the after-party, shook some hands, laughed, drank rosé from plastic cups.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Democrats’ latest fault lines do not track perfectly along the familiar split between progressives and centrists.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Alba previously confirmed her split from Warren in an Instagram post in January.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20up. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share