1
as in disbanding
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 ending
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 dividing
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 losing it
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 stopping
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 disrupting
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 laughing
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of breaking up
The bag provided the only real contrast in the outfit, breaking up the sea of black without disrupting its clean, minimalist feel.
—
Daisy Maldonado,
InStyle,
16 June 2026
Shortly after breaking up with Dakota, Ainsley started dating Ryder, the high school quarterback.
—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
The car enters the Holland Tunnel and the video connection is breaking up, but the audio is still holding.
—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
14 June 2026
Lee’s Summit Downtown Days In Lee’s Summit, police spent nearly two hours breaking up a series of incidents and disturbances involving teenagers at the city’s Downtown Days festival Saturday night.
—
Ben Wheeler
june 9,
Kansas City Star,
9 June 2026
Police arrested 25 people and recovered 52 chickens while breaking up an active cockfight in Delaware County over the weekend.
—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
On a balcony, this looks like breaking up the lineup by alternating hanging planters with those on the ground.
—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
20 Apr. 2026
The show opens with a couple, Dan (Mike Mitchell) and Dana (Plaza), breaking up and their cat, Kevin (Jason Schwartzman), deciding he’s done with both humans and will find his own way in the world.
—
Stuart Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Leading up to rehab, post-hysterectomy and just before officially breaking up with Antonoff, Dunham reconnected with a childhood boyfriend, Nick.
—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
Daisy Maldonado,
InStyle,
16 June 2026
Shortly after breaking up with Dakota, Ainsley started dating Ryder, the high school quarterback.
—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
The car enters the Holland Tunnel and the video connection is breaking up, but the audio is still holding.
—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
14 June 2026
Lee’s Summit Downtown Days In Lee’s Summit, police spent nearly two hours breaking up a series of incidents and disturbances involving teenagers at the city’s Downtown Days festival Saturday night.
—
Ben Wheeler
june 9,
Kansas City Star,
9 June 2026
Police arrested 25 people and recovered 52 chickens while breaking up an active cockfight in Delaware County over the weekend.
—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
On a balcony, this looks like breaking up the lineup by alternating hanging planters with those on the ground.
—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
20 Apr. 2026
The show opens with a couple, Dan (Mike Mitchell) and Dana (Plaza), breaking up and their cat, Kevin (Jason Schwartzman), deciding he’s done with both humans and will find his own way in the world.
—
Stuart Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Leading up to rehab, post-hysterectomy and just before officially breaking up with Antonoff, Dunham reconnected with a childhood boyfriend, Nick.
—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking up
Verb
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Trump has mused to friends and advisers about disbanding the office, which has never really fulfilled the vision that Congress laid out for it two decades ago, after the 9/11 attacks.
-
In 2021, more than 43% of voters supported disbanding the department as the city reeled from Floyd’s killing and the massive protests and widespread rioting that followed.
Verb
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And a whistle was called for offside, ending the counterattack.
-
But that era is ending because memory is becoming the bottleneck.
Verb
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The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17 that sets up negotiations over the most contentious issues dividing the two sides.
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But any time a cell is not actively dividing, its chromatin is unwound into what looks like a tangled mess.
Verb
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What beef tallow is and how it’s made Beef tallow is a white, shelf-stable cooking fat made by rendering — or melting down — the fatty tissue that surrounds a cow’s organs, according to Michelle Crouch at AARP.
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Practice non-reaction This can feel counterintuitive, but sometimes the best strategy is to take a pause and not immediately react or intervene when your child is melting down.
Verb
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And the heat’s not stopping anytime soon.
-
Video shows how chase led to deadly crash Instead of stopping, the purple car accelerated and sped through a red light, according to video from Joel’s dashboard camera.
Verb
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The knock-on effect is a shortage of fuel and munitions for Russian frontline troops in southern Ukraine, further disrupting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s wartime goals.
-
People attending the trial would also be prohibited from reacting, gesturing, wearing distracting clothing, or otherwise disrupting proceedings.
Verb
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Cameras later caught Cunningham laughing as Bonner's meltdown escalated, and both players were hit with technical fouls.
-
Gates recalled laughing at his thriftiness—but for the hedge fund mogul, every penny counts.
Verb
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The textile recycler restarted production at its industrial-scale facility in Ortviken, Sweden in February and regrouped with Finnish material innovator Spinnova in March to use its cellulose-rich dissolving pulp as feedstock in Spinnova’s ecosystem to produce new textile fibers.
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The one moment of genuine conversation between him and Jen this episode lasted about 15 seconds before dissolving, again, into tonsil hockey.
Cite this Entry
“Breaking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20up. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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