as in splits
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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Recent Examples of breakups
The 6-1, 172-pound cornerback started all 12 games for Washington State last season, leading the Cougars with four interceptions and eight pass breakups along with recording 32 tackles.
—
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Jan. 2025
Mack earned his ninth career Pro Bowl selection with six sacks, 15 quarterback hits, six tackles for loss and nine pass breakups.
—Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2025
The 11-year veteran is the only player in the NFL this season to have at least five sacks and nine pass breakups.
—Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2025
Before his injury, recorded 32 tackles and six pass breakups in 91% of snaps.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
Canales also pointed out that Jackson and Horn are the best CB tandem in the league in terms of pass breakups.
—Joseph Person, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
Brown drew three pass interference penalties on Lattimore (the third of which was kind of dubious), but Lattimore had some pass breakups, too, before leaving with a strained hamstring.
—David Aldridge, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Her outlook on relationships and the breakups she’s encountered along the way partly inspired her special.
—Olivia-Anne Cleary, TIME, 19 Dec. 2024
With 11 pass breakups this season, Surtain is the first Broncos player with 10 or more passes knocked away in each of his first four seasons.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Jan. 2025
Mack earned his ninth career Pro Bowl selection with six sacks, 15 quarterback hits, six tackles for loss and nine pass breakups.
—Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2025
The 11-year veteran is the only player in the NFL this season to have at least five sacks and nine pass breakups.
—Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2025
Before his injury, recorded 32 tackles and six pass breakups in 91% of snaps.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
Canales also pointed out that Jackson and Horn are the best CB tandem in the league in terms of pass breakups.
—Joseph Person, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
Brown drew three pass interference penalties on Lattimore (the third of which was kind of dubious), but Lattimore had some pass breakups, too, before leaving with a strained hamstring.
—David Aldridge, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Her outlook on relationships and the breakups she’s encountered along the way partly inspired her special.
—Olivia-Anne Cleary, TIME, 19 Dec. 2024
With 11 pass breakups this season, Surtain is the first Broncos player with 10 or more passes knocked away in each of his first four seasons.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breakups
Noun
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His ability to collaborate across racial, political, and economic divisions ultimately transformed South Africa.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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But some fear that relying on the justice system alone is unlikely to heal Brazil’s deep political and societal divisions, and could potentially exacerbate them.—
Constance Malleret,
The Christian Science Monitor,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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However, those reports give few details about the reasons for the separations, especially in cases where parents have been flagged for national security reasons.—
Mica Rosenberg,
ProPublica,
12 Dec. 2024
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Advocates do not disagree that sometimes separations are warranted, said Lee Gelernt, an ACLU attorney and the lead lawyer in the family separation lawsuit.—
Mica Rosenberg,
ProPublica,
12 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Breakups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breakups. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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