BROKE UP Synonyms: 279 Similar and Opposite Words

broke up

verb

past tense of break up

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

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as in stopped

to come to an end the meeting broke up when all the business for the day had been completed

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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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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

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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

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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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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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of broke up The band broke up in 1999 after Alexander lost interest in performing — one perfect song and out. —

Ryan Brennan april 8, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026 The band broke up in 2001 but reunited in 2014 — though no subsequent music came close to replicating the song’s chart success. —

Ryan Brennan april 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026 Last year’s seasonal ozone hole was one of the fifth-smallest since recovery began in 1992 and broke up nearly three weeks earlier than the average over the past decade. —

Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026 Ambrosia broke up in 1982 but reunited in 1989; Pack later left, though the band’s other three founders continued to perform. —

Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026 Nate, who stormed out of Lexi's play and seemingly broke up with Cassie in the process, makes a shocking decision to turn his dad, Cal Jacobs (Dane), over to the police. —

Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026 Ambrosia broke up in 1982 and then reunited in 1989 with all four original members. —

Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 31 Mar. 2026 The open-air format also broke up the usual audience structure. —

Yook Jihun, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026 The couple broke up in January 2025 after James blindsided Kirkconnell with a breakup post on Instagram. —

Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 25 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke up

Verb

The group disbanded after Takeoff was shot and killed in November 2022 following an argument that broke out during a private party at a bowling alley in Houston, police said at the time.

— Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
The Atlanta hip-hop trio formally disbanded the following year after Offset and Quavo performed a tribute dedicated to Takeoff.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026