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
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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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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
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break up
Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 31 July 2025
Gay has been recording sacks, stopping runs for losses and breaking up passes throughout training camp, and his strong play continued in the seventh practice of camp and second day in full pads.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 30 July 2025
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 28 July 2025
Brown had 11 tackles in 12 games with one pass breakup last season and Graham enrolled early at USC after being ranked as the No. 5 player in the state of Michigan by 247Sports.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Verb
The dinner came one month after PEOPLE confirmed Perry and Orlando Bloom, 48 — who broke up after nine years of an on-and-off romance — ended their engagement.
—Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 31 July 2025
Gay has been recording sacks, stopping runs for losses and breaking up passes throughout training camp, and his strong play continued in the seventh practice of camp and second day in full pads.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 30 July 2025
Noun
Part of the problem was that many of the friends had differing philosophies on how to deal with the bitter breakup between Tom and Ariana.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 28 July 2025
Brown had 11 tackles in 12 games with one pass breakup last season and Graham enrolled early at USC after being ranked as the No. 5 player in the state of Michigan by 247Sports.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up
Verb
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The immediate effect of Trump’s executive order is unclear since only the U.S. Congress can disband a federal agency.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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Tae-hee’s band disbanded, leaving him with a mountain of debt.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
Verb
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Interior designers Julia Marcum and Chris Marcum teamed up with textile company Loloi for a Wayfair collection that shoppers can’t stop buying, and among them is the Jules Indoor Area Rug with more than 1,400 five-star ratings.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
People.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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The goal is to create awareness and encourage Solana Beach and area residents to walk, drive or stop to see many of the wonderful creative pieces of art.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Control of Earth is now divided among five mega-corporations.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
5 Aug. 2025
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There may be more that unites the two groups than divides them.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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If that foundation isn’t strong, the entire system starts to crack.—
Kolawole Samuel Adebayo,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
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Tesla was the only Magnificent 7 tech giant to fail to crack the top 100, landing at No. 106 (up by 4).—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
30 July 2025
Verb
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Which is yet another reason for politicians to cease trying to corrupt the brilliance of freely arrived at price signals.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
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Historic vote guts public media nationally On May 1, Trump issued an executive order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the private nonprofit that manages the federal money for public media, to cease funding of NPR and PBS.—
Angele Latham,
The Tennessean,
30 July 2025
Verb
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Frequent use can disrupt normal bowel function and lead to laxative dependence or chronic constipation.7 Only use castor oil under medical guidance.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
11 July 2025
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The industry’s year of strikes in 2023 also disrupted the flow of Hollywood movie releases to the local multiplex.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Masters champion Scottie Scheffler of the United States laughs during the Green Jacket Ceremony of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 09, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Aug. 2025
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Anderson laughed, while Neeson smiled and looked over in the actress' direction.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Following a period of intense speculation, the WBD split was revealed last month.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
29 July 2025
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Versant has been staffing up ahead of the looming split, which will see MSNBC and CNBC severed from NBC News.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20up. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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