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
Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
And that feels more like a reason to break up than what movie Kidman appeared in or not.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 9 Oct. 2025
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
While the rapper is currently in a relationship with Jazlyn Mychelle, the high praise comes after Mayweather and YoungBoy had a tumultuous breakup back in 2022.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Verb
Video on social media showed the explosion and its aftermath as remains of the spacecraft were seen breaking up in what looked like a stunning meteor shower.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
And that feels more like a reason to break up than what movie Kidman appeared in or not.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
Marlee Matlin is reflecting on the role Henry Winkler played in turning her life around after her tumultuous breakup from actor William Hurt.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
While the rapper is currently in a relationship with Jazlyn Mychelle, the high praise comes after Mayweather and YoungBoy had a tumultuous breakup back in 2022.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up
Verb
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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
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And once the dog is found, the Search Party network disbands.—
Mike Feibus,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But her six-figure salary didn’t stop her from using the Foundation as her personal piggy bank, records show.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
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Witkoff, Rubio, and Kushner then streamlined the proposal to a two-phase structure—first, a ceasefire and exchange of hostages and prisoners to stop the fighting; second, a framework for Gaza's future, including disarmament and a technocratic transitional government.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Resale values on premium EVs are notoriously bad, and with the possible exception of the Rolls-Royce Spectre, nobody has quite cracked the nut on how to build one that could conceivably be considered an heirloom.—
Tim Stevens,
Robb Report,
9 Oct. 2025
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Jackson Lacombe and Luke Hughes each just signed long-term extensions with $9 million AAVs — before either one cracked 50 points.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Eventually, the extended family gatherings ceased altogether.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Eventually, though, the wins and losses cease to matter.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 13 Oct. 2025.
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