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
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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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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Much of physicists’ intuition stops being helpful in an expanding universe.—
Shalma Wegsman,
Quanta Magazine,
30 Mar. 2026
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The run hits major arenas including Chase Center in San Francisco, United Center in Chicago, TD Garden in Boston and stops across Canada, before closing out at the band’s home turf.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Druski's skit divides social media In the skit, Druski is seen portraying a white woman with blonde hair, which viewers compared to Erica Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
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The river supplies drinking water and irrigation to tens of millions of people across the West, but the system that divides its water, based on agreements more than a century old, is under increasing strain after years of drought and declining reservoir levels.—
Amalia Roy,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The deal cracks the seven figures, to be split by the writers.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
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Gwen then cracks a joke about firing Del Rio's character.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In a different scenario, assigned a probability of 60%, the conflict ceases at the end of this month and oil prices fall quickly.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
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When reputation replaces repentance, the church ceases to reflect Christ’s character.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, Wisconsin gas prices are currently about 60 cents higher than the same time last year as the war with Iran disrupts the global oil supply.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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What to Skip Alcohol feels relaxing but disrupts deep sleep and melatonin production.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Henry takes in Link, who at this point is a teenager and laughs him off.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
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Now a senior, Kleemann just laughs at the idea.—
Sam Brief,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Its hot water wash dissolves stubborn grease on the mop pads, while its specialized Curv design prevents long hair from tangling around the brushes.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
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Combine in a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaks up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20up. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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