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
Kody reflected on his own divorces in a confessional, and lamented how messy the breakups became.
—
Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Defensive tackle Chris Jones added a pair of sacks, and cornerback Kristian Fulton had three pass breakups.
—Kansas City Star, 5 Jan. 2026
Pollock finished 2025 with seven pass breakups and five interceptions.
—Ty Kaplan, Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
Castell responded in 2023 with a team-high 60 tackles, along with an interception, and leaves UF 168 stops, 12 pass breakups, three interceptions and a sack.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026
Jackson tied a season high with three pass breakups in the Week 16 game.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
The half ended with Bud Clark coming up with two pass breakups in the end zone after the Trojans got inside the red zone.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Dec. 2025
Defensive standouts include defensive backs Dalton Johnson (97 tackles, 4 INT, 7 pass breakups), Genesis Smith (77 tackles, 8 pass breakups) and Treydan Stukes (52 tackles, 4 INT, 6 pass breakups) and linebacker Taye Brown (84 tackles).
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025
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
Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Defensive tackle Chris Jones added a pair of sacks, and cornerback Kristian Fulton had three pass breakups.
—Kansas City Star, 5 Jan. 2026
Pollock finished 2025 with seven pass breakups and five interceptions.
—Ty Kaplan, Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
Castell responded in 2023 with a team-high 60 tackles, along with an interception, and leaves UF 168 stops, 12 pass breakups, three interceptions and a sack.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026
Jackson tied a season high with three pass breakups in the Week 16 game.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
The half ended with Bud Clark coming up with two pass breakups in the end zone after the Trojans got inside the red zone.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Dec. 2025
Defensive standouts include defensive backs Dalton Johnson (97 tackles, 4 INT, 7 pass breakups), Genesis Smith (77 tackles, 8 pass breakups) and Treydan Stukes (52 tackles, 4 INT, 6 pass breakups) and linebacker Taye Brown (84 tackles).
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breakups
Noun
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It's also known as high season for marital splits, although that reputation may be more myth than reality.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
30 Dec. 2025
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Whatever the reason, this year’s splits have shaken generations of fans who were rooting for the former couples to find their happily ever after.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The traditional layout of closed, hierarchical office spaces has been replaced with an open office concept featuring glass partitions and bright, interconnected rooms, to encourage team collaboration.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
-
When visits were eventually permitted, they were limited to 10–20 minutes behind glass partitions.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Some Democrats mentioned as 2028 presidential hopefuls appeared frustrated with the discussion on the divisions facing the party and said that voters are not ultrafocused on that, and that Republicans don’t really bother with that.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
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Any novel about a train is a study of society and its ineradicable divisions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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After buyouts, early retirements, voluntary separations and a Reduction in Force, the agency was shrunk nearly in half earlier this year.—
Arthur Jones II,
ABC News,
11 Oct. 2025
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Garrett added that separations can stem from safety concerns, self-harm risk or threats from others inside the facility.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But aggregate consumer spending masks schisms below the surface.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
2 Oct. 2025
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This brings us to the differences between the characters, which point to pivotal schisms between Anderson and Pynchon as storytellers.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breakups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breakups. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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