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
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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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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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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of breaking up
Chapterhouse formed in 1987 in Reading, England, and released two albums during their original run—including the heralded shoegaze classic Whirlpool—before breaking up in 1994.
—
Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Sep. 2025
Lopez and Affleck first dated in 2002 and got engaged before breaking up and then reconnecting in 2021, getting married the following year and divorcing last year.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
Staley was selected Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after a performance that included breaking up a fourth-down pass in the end zone on Cal’s opening drive, forcing a fumble that was turned into a touchdown, getting an interception and making seven tackles.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2025
Climbers add dimension and vertical movement to the garden, breaking up the monotony of fence lines.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2025
In March 2022, police were breaking up fights in that same block of Caldwell Street in a parking lot outside Brooklyn Lounge when a man got a rifle and began firing at officers.
—Charlotte Observer, 21 Sep. 2025
Ted decided to go to Robin’s and lied about breaking up with Victoria, leading to a kiss between the two.
—Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Terrion Arnold #0 of the Detroit Lions celebrates after breaking up a 4th down pass in the end zone against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at Ford Field on September 30, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Chapter One opens with Ocean, a Korean space pilot, breaking up with her boyfriend at a Korean BBQ restaurant.
—Elaine U. Cho
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Sep. 2025
Lopez and Affleck first dated in 2002 and got engaged before breaking up and then reconnecting in 2021, getting married the following year and divorcing last year.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
Staley was selected Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after a performance that included breaking up a fourth-down pass in the end zone on Cal’s opening drive, forcing a fumble that was turned into a touchdown, getting an interception and making seven tackles.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2025
Climbers add dimension and vertical movement to the garden, breaking up the monotony of fence lines.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2025
In March 2022, police were breaking up fights in that same block of Caldwell Street in a parking lot outside Brooklyn Lounge when a man got a rifle and began firing at officers.
—Charlotte Observer, 21 Sep. 2025
Ted decided to go to Robin’s and lied about breaking up with Victoria, leading to a kiss between the two.
—Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Terrion Arnold #0 of the Detroit Lions celebrates after breaking up a 4th down pass in the end zone against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at Ford Field on September 30, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Chapter One opens with Ocean, a Korean space pilot, breaking up with her boyfriend at a Korean BBQ restaurant.
—Elaine U. Cho
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking up
Verb
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With the group only set to work together for two-and-a-half years, IZ*ONE managed to sell nearly three million records across their K- and J-pop releases before officially disbanding in April 2021.—
Jeff Benjamin,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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The Turtles would release two more albums — 1968’s The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands and 1969’s Turtle Soup — before disbanding in 1970.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Robles’ sprinting, diving catch to start a game-ending double play in Houston last Saturday could stand as the pivotal moment when the season turned Seattle’s way.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
-
But that unit got a little less threatening after the season-ending ACL injury to former Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa in Sunday’s 16-15 win over the Arizona Cardinals.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Experts say the median offers a more accurate view of what's happening in a market than the average list price, which would mean taking the sum of all listing prices then dividing by the number of homes sold.—
USA TODAY Network,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Sep. 2025
-
This amount is expressed by dividing the share price by the company’s earnings per share to get the price-to-earnings ratio.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Teams have no choice but to continue to throw numbers at stopping the run.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
-
That's the same deadline that Grassley gave Noem to respond about stopping student visa authorizations.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In contrast, older workers—typically occupying more senior or specialized roles—show little anxiety about AI disrupting their employment.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
24 Sep. 2025
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At least 12 people died as heavy rain lashed the eastern Indian city of Kolkata and surrounding areas ahead of a major festival, flooding streets, disrupting transport and leaving residents stranded for hours, officials said Wednesday.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While Jones’ daughter, Clara, sent her a heartfelt message, Bush Hager's girls, Mila and Poppy, looked less enthusiastic, making their mom burst out laughing.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
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The video shows the passengers laughing at their stroke of luck in getting a dog on their ride.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Evening light spills across the pollinator gardens—alive with bees, hummingbirds, and the occasional wandering chicken—before dissolving into the shimmer of the Mackinac Bridge.—
Christine Chitnis,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
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Actors and musicians appeared and disappeared, dissolving into one another.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Why is a soon-expiring, 3-year contract still being negotiated?—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Halligan is working against the clock, with the five-year statute of limitations to prosecute Comey for allegedly making false statements expiring on Tuesday.—
Katherine Faulders,
ABC News,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20up. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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