1
as in disbanded
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 stopped
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 divided
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 cracked
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in ceased
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
police arrived at the scene and immediately broke up the fracas
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in disrupted
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 laughed
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of broke up
The White Stripes broke up almost 15 years ago, but discussions of Meg’s drumming are still taking place.
—
Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2025
Drop Nineteens broke up in 1995 and reunited in 2022.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2025
Following the eventful first season, in which Joanne (Bell) and Noah (Brody) met, fell in love and briefly broke up before reuniting, Season 2 followed the natural course of a relationship by largely chronicling the duo’s efforts to blend their lives together.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
Perry recently broke up with her longterm boyfriend Orlando Bloom while Bezos and Sánchez had their wedding.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 4 Nov. 2025
The fictional pair broke up several times and co-parented their daughter, Mikayla, before reuniting in season 10 and getting engaged in season 11.
—Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Faison and his girlfriend broke up because of the cheating, but, sharing a child, the two still lived together and were trying to work through their relationship, the girlfriend told police.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
Which couples broke up in 'Love Is Blind' season 9?
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Oct. 2025
In fact, all three women were heartbreakers — a major vibe shift after the two couples who broke up early this season ended because of the men.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2025
Drop Nineteens broke up in 1995 and reunited in 2022.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2025
Following the eventful first season, in which Joanne (Bell) and Noah (Brody) met, fell in love and briefly broke up before reuniting, Season 2 followed the natural course of a relationship by largely chronicling the duo’s efforts to blend their lives together.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
Perry recently broke up with her longterm boyfriend Orlando Bloom while Bezos and Sánchez had their wedding.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 4 Nov. 2025
The fictional pair broke up several times and co-parented their daughter, Mikayla, before reuniting in season 10 and getting engaged in season 11.
—Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Faison and his girlfriend broke up because of the cheating, but, sharing a child, the two still lived together and were trying to work through their relationship, the girlfriend told police.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
Which couples broke up in 'Love Is Blind' season 9?
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Oct. 2025
In fact, all three women were heartbreakers — a major vibe shift after the two couples who broke up early this season ended because of the men.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke up
Verb
-
With the victory, Gilmore disbanded the Club from Nowhere.—
Time,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
-
From the time that Soundgarden disbanded, my main focus was bringing Lily into the world.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The move comes weeks after Microsoft stopped providing some services to an Israeli defense unit.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
-
There is no data showing how many of those minors married other minors, and which married adults for recent years, as the state stopped collecting that data in 2022.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
These passages reflect how divided the planet once was, how easily myths about the United States could become rooted in other countries.—
Tope Folarin,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Or that, even worse, it would be arbitrarily divided into episodes in order to inflate the view count and/or pander to short attention spans (Eywa wept).—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Last year, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chairman John Sykes cracked open the door to dispel a bit of mystique that surrounds his nominating committee.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
-
To this day, no townhouse has cracked $90 million — hedge-funder Philip Falcone’s doublewide townhouse on East 65th Street, set the townhouse record in 2019 at nearly $80 million, which has yet to be surpassed.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The United States has all but ceased supplying Ukraine with equipment.—
Jack Watling,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Nov. 2025
-
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has ceased its financial relationships with weapons manufacturers Northrop Grumman and RTX (formerly Raytheon), according to the organization.—
James Factora,
Them.,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The shutdown has disrupted federal operations, delayed pay for hundreds of thousands of workers, and put critical programs at risk.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
-
If the shutdown has not been resolved at the end of this week, there is a big risk Thanksgiving travel could be disrupted, said Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Harbour arrived at the season 5 premiere alongside costar Millie Bobby Brown, as the pair laughed and hugged each other on the red carpet while posing for photos together.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Expect to be ignored, laughed at and turned away.—
Chris Cardillo,
Rolling Stone,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Add sugar and whisk vigorously until dissolved.—
Amanda Holstein,
Southern Living,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The attorneys for the Department of Justice argued that the preliminary injunction blocking Abrego Garcia’s removal to Liberia should be dissolved because the government received assurances from the government of the West African country that he will not be persecuted or tortured.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broke up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20up. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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