BREAKING UP Synonyms: 271 Similar and Opposite Words

breaking up

verb

present participle of break up

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

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as in ending

to come to an end the meeting broke up when all the business for the day had been completed

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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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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

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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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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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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

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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 breaking up 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 Demonstrations took place in several cities across Israel over the weekend, with police breaking up a large gathering in Tel Aviv. —

Npr Staff, NPR, 5 Apr. 2026 Images taken by Reuters show Israeli security forces breaking up the demonstrations in the city’s Habima Square. —

Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026 As the party was breaking up, officers reported hearing multiple gunshots near the home. —

Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026 The room begins to feel fragmented, with too many edges breaking up the sightline. —

Angelika Pokovba, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026 Meanwhile, in the early 1900s, people feared broadcast radio would wrinkle their skin, dry up the sky, and even cause flooding by breaking up clouds. —

Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 3 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking up

Verb

Facing that, disbanding a unit is a rational response.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Joined by bassist David Barbe and drummer Malcolm Travis, the group released two albums and toured regularly before disbanding amicably in 1995.

— Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 5 May 2026