1
as in to disband
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stop
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 to divide
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 to crack
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 to cease
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 to disrupt
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 to laugh
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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as in split
the act or process of a whole separating into two or more parts or pieces
the breakup of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism pretty much signaled the end of the Cold War
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break up
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2025
Marta and Antonio, partners of many years, quarrel and suddenly break up.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 7 Nov. 2025
The true freshman defensive back paces the Orange’s secondary with eight pass breakups.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Verb
The couple met as students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland in 2001, fell in love (and famously broke up for a time), and in 2010, William proposed atop the foothills of Mount Kenya with his late mother’s iconic sapphire ring.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2025
Marta and Antonio, partners of many years, quarrel and suddenly break up.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
As orbital launches and other space activities have increased, so have the fragments produced by collisions, accidental breakups, spent rocket stages, and more.
—Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 7 Nov. 2025
The true freshman defensive back paces the Orange’s secondary with eight pass breakups.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up
Verb
-
The nonprofit institution that provided significant funding for PBS and NPR is disbanding after nearly 60 years in operation.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
6 Jan. 2026
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Perhaps the biggest mistake made in the aftermath of our 2003 invasion of Iraq was to disband the Iraqi Army before another force was ready to maintain order.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On third-and-1 with seven seconds left, Schakel took the snap and tried to spike the ball, which would have stopped the clock and given his team one final play to go for the win.—
Alex Valdes,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Among those who do use an advisor, 26% are considering switching and 18% may stop using an advisor altogether.—
Robert Frank,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Qianlong took a page from the design of private gardens in southern China to make the layout more compact, and divided the site into four connected courtyards, two of which are currently open to the public, from south to north.—
Fred He,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Engineers divide conventional aircraft into three main lightning zones.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In the Zootopia sequel directed by Jared Bush and Bryon Howard, brave rabbit cop Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her friend, the fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), team up again to crack the most perilous and intricate case of their careers.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
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Democratic senators are split on whether to vote to reopen the government, but Republicans only need a handful of Democrats to crack to end the shutdown.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
6 Nov. 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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Meanwhile, over in Britain, a vibrant antiwar movement brought on motion after motion in Parliament to cease fire and end all offensive operations against the rebels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Bullet train services were temporarily disrupted, and cameras mounted on buildings showed visible shaking.—
Anthony Trotter,
ABC News,
6 Jan. 2026
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However, drinking caffeinated tea too late in the day can disrupt sleep.—
Anna Giorgi,
Verywell Health,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Honestly, my only regret is this thing in the eye [laughs].—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate achievements that make people laugh, then think.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Mafuko’s mother was killed in 2007 and in 2013, during the split of Kabirizi family, Mafuko joined the Bageni family.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
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Per People, the split is amicable with no major turmoil leading up to it.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20up. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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