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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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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The elevator stops at each floor and a new ghostly guest arrives offering some insight into Will’s plan.—
Amber McBride,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Some gardeners choose to pinch those old flowers away every day to enhance the look of their plants, while others decide to wait until the entire flower scape stops blooming to cut the scape stem down to the soil line.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Food apartheid in Metcalfe Park Census data show how sharply the food access crisis divides Milwaukee.—
April Quevedo,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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What divides him from Burton is that Hopkins, by a miracle, summoned the clarity to renounce his own destruction.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Chowdhury says that there is a growing cadre in government and industry who have bought into the hype around humanoids and believe that the world economy will be dominated by whoever cracks the problem first.—
James Vincent,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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The gruesome mayhem continues as another family member slips on some small toy cars left on the floor and cracks his head open on the corner of a piano.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
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From December through February, shuttle service largely ceases (outside of select days and weekends; check shuttle schedules for up-to-date details).—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
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Plenty of literary audio has been made in the more than eight years since S-Town, but the writer language used to talk about podcasting ceases to exist outside the editing room.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The condition disrupts the production of CoQ10, a molecule essential for generating energy inside cells, leading to rapid neurological decline and loss of mobility.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Jan. 2026
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In other words, alcohol disrupts hydration, irritates the gut, inflames blood vessels, messes with sleep, and forces your liver into metabolic overdrive.—
Ciara Lucas,
SELF,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Simmons laughs when recalling the experience.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
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Honestly, my only regret is this thing in the eye [laughs].—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The short answer is that toothpaste contains a detergent that dissolves fat.—
Linda Bartoshuk,
The Conversation,
5 Jan. 2026
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Its acidity effectively breaks down grease, eliminates mold, neutralizes odors, and dissolves mineral deposits.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaks up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20up. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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