1
as in disbands
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 stops
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 divides
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 cracks
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 ceases
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 disrupts
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 laughs
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
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Recent Examples of breaks up
While Sam begins hallucinating people as puppets, Justin breaks up with him.
—
Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Belly, devastated by the betrayal, slaps Jeremiah and breaks up with him.
—Alexandra Hurtado, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Needless to say, Bobby breaks up with her later.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Belly, devastated by the betrayal, slaps Jeremiah and breaks up with him.
—Alexandra Hurtado, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Needless to say, Bobby breaks up with her later.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks up
Verb
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And once the dog is found, the Search Party network disbands.—
Mike Feibus,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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DiCaprio plays Bob, a revolutionary in hiding with his teen daughter (Chase Infiniti) after his activist group the French 75 disbands in chaos.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The breakthrough centers on a one-atom-thick filter that stops sulfur chains from clogging up the battery.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
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My colleague Hannah Pinski hit the road late last week for a couple campaign stops for Massie alongside Paul, his ally in the Senate.—
Lucas Aulbach,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Analysts say this has pulled the faith’s center of gravity toward the more conservative global south, deepening divides with the West’s more liberal outlook.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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Attached to each loop is a polymerase enzyme, which serves a critical function every time a cell divides.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Apple will be there waiting, sitting on a mountain of cash, ready to partner with (or outright acquire) whichever operation cracks the code.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
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Every time Kreider cracks a joke, Yurov laughs hard.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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If an airport ceases service for more than six hours, you may be reimbursed for non-refundable expenses like flights, hotels, prepaid tours, and change fees.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
1 Oct. 2025
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But her story importantly shows us today that when a certain population is being targeted by a state government, few officials parse out the particulars of one’s immigration status—and whether a person is stateless or not ultimately ceases to matter as the crackdowns escalate.—
Time,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Once Hughes plays the ball towards Lacroix, Mateta (red) disrupts City’s central zonal defender, Ruben Dias, and the rest of the Palace attackers diverge towards different zones inside the penalty area.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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What Happens Next As AI disrupts the hiring process across different industries, Thompson anticipates more companies could pull back on hiring altogether.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In response, the Marvel star just laughs.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
30 Sep. 2025
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Jones laughs instead of screams.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The real cost shows up when generations of struggle for fair representation are erased by a pen stroke that divides neighborhoods and dissolves communities of interest.—
Trena Turner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
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Set over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaks up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20up. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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