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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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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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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After the initial stomach issues subside, the toxin continues to invade the liver cells and stops them from making RNA (ribonucleic acid), which the body needs to make healing and protective proteins.—
Amy McGorry,
FOXNews.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
In turn, breathing nearly stops, and its brain activity becomes barely detectable.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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What could be more important, or needed, these days than something, anything, that bridges worldwide divides?—
Scott Soshnick,
Sportico.com,
20 Jan. 2026
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In this metric, the company divides the amount of bitcoin by the number of shares.—
Alexander S. Blume,
Forbes.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Anthony cracks Top 50 Roman Anthony only has 71 big league games under his belt, but the promising Red Sox outfielder is already earning widespread acclaim from across the sport.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
18 Jan. 2026
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To make matters even more complicated, the one who cracks the case will receive a promotion.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The world never ceases to produce grist for discussion.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
30 Dec. 2025
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Rithy has made several films about the Cambodian victims of the Khmer Rouge era, but here the focus seems to be on the crucible of disillusionment through which everyone must pass when the world ceases to cohere with our vision of it.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
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On the other hand, chronic sleep deprivation impairs attention, disrupts decision-making and alters the hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism.—
Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse,
The Conversation,
23 Jan. 2026
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Depriving children and young adults of social contact, structure, and meaningful engagement disrupts emotional regulation, impulse control, and decision-making, causing harm that can follow them long after release.—
Gladys Carrión,
New York Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nahmias turned 33 on January 7; and while many other Millennials—the generation of the overwhelmed and overstimulated—would show frustration with the noise, Nahmias laughs it off.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
20 Jan. 2026
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At 25 years old, Gerard laughs about becoming one of the veterans on Team USA and in the broader snowboarding community.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Chatting with a winemaker over a hip-hop set dissolves the hierarchy.—
Jonathan Kleeman,
Rolling Stone,
28 Jan. 2026
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Saturn asks for accountability, while Neptune dissolves the boundaries between the physical and the spiritual.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaks up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20up. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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