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
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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
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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
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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
His priorities include lowering credit card interest rates, breaking up corporate monopolies, capping prescription drug prices, expanding free school meals, and protecting Social Security and Medicare.
—
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
Cook, stirring often and breaking up meat, until beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
—Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
If that's correct, then not enough time has passed for solar radiation to have cleared out all the dust sprayed into space by the asteroid breaking up.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Even if Senate Republicans conceded to breaking up the funding package, the bills would be kicked back to the House of Representatives, which is on a weeklong recess.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Both played well in the postseason, too, with Durant intercepting three passes and breaking up seven more and Curl making a big impact in the divisional victory over the Chicago Bears, not least of all with an overtime interception.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026
In the series, Missal's character gets involved with married professor Oliver after breaking up with her boyfriend, Evan.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Summer House stars Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke are breaking up.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2026
Kendricks wound up making the game-saving play by breaking up the fourth-down pass to Goedert.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
Cook, stirring often and breaking up meat, until beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
—Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
If that's correct, then not enough time has passed for solar radiation to have cleared out all the dust sprayed into space by the asteroid breaking up.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Even if Senate Republicans conceded to breaking up the funding package, the bills would be kicked back to the House of Representatives, which is on a weeklong recess.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Both played well in the postseason, too, with Durant intercepting three passes and breaking up seven more and Curl making a big impact in the divisional victory over the Chicago Bears, not least of all with an overtime interception.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026
In the series, Missal's character gets involved with married professor Oliver after breaking up with her boyfriend, Evan.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Summer House stars Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke are breaking up.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2026
Kendricks wound up making the game-saving play by breaking up the fourth-down pass to Goedert.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking up
Verb
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These earlier massacres also made the SDF hesitant about completely disbanding immediately, as Sharaa continues to demand.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
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The Bruins played in the American Basketball League through the 1930-31 season before disbanding, then were revived for the National Basketball League.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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France passes budget after failed no-confidence votes France passed an annual budget, ending a long-running debacle that felled prime ministers, amplified support for the far right, and raised doubts over the country’s long-term finances.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Newsome played for Harbaugh’s brother, Jim, at Michigan and then joined the Wolverines as a student assistant in 2018 after suffering a career-ending injury.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile the question of whether events contracts on sports amount to financial derivatives or gambling is dividing the sports gambling industry — and tying federal courts in knots.—
Alex Sherman,Contessa Brewer,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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The clearance rate is calculated by dividing the number of homicide cases opened in a year by the number of homicide cases closed in a year.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As the day wears on, the interview subjects recall their WhatsApp groups lighting up, until more people from the surrounding buildings add to the sea of residents stopping the van from taking off.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
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Teams will fill the rocket’s tank with more than 700,000 gallons of super-cold fuel, stopping a half-minute short of when the engines would light.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors have accused them of civil rights violations for disrupting the Cities Church service.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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Wild weather is disrupting daily life — impacting homes, schools, and roadways.—
Terell Bailey,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That a video of Sanders and Monken embracing and laughing made it to the team’s official social media pages was no coincidence.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Everyone’s laughing at the confessions until Emma speaks.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The 3-2 vote by the Rules Committee followed a more than five-hour, sometimes emotional hearing that drew hundreds of proponents and critics who pleaded their case, with some vacation rental hosts dissolving into tears.—
Lori Weisberg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Jan. 2026
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Unlike a vasectomy, in which the vas deferens is cut and sealed, the implant is designed to be temporary, with the water-soluble gel dissolving naturally after two years.—
Ana Castelain,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The fate of hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants in the United States hangs in the balance, despite a federal judge’s injunction that stopped their immigration status from expiring.—
Philip Wang,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
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Huerter, who turns 28 this summer, began the day as one of Chicago’s eight expiring contracts.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20up. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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