broke up

Definition of broke upnext
past tense of break up
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
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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

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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 grey added dimension and broke up the look in the best way. Mecca Pryor, Essence, 17 Mar. 2026 Married Zack Goytowski and Bliss Poureetezadi had one of the stranger journeys on Love Is Blind, mainly because Zack initially broke up with Bliss in favor of Irina Solomonova, who proved herself to be perhaps the meanest contestant in the show's history. Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026 Kylie broke up with Scott in the fall of 2019, spent quarantine with him to co-parent Stormi, recoupled in mid-2021, and welcomed Aire in February 2022, all before breaking up for good around the holidays. Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026 Last year in Tennessee, Baker made 55 tackles and broke up seven passes without an interception in his 10 starts. David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026 During four seasons with the Chiefs, McDuffie forced eight fumbles, three interceptions and broke up 34 passes. Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026 Rodgers and Woodley were engaged in 2021, but called off their wedding plans in 2022 and later broke up. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 5 Mar. 2026 Hole, whose two most consistent members were Love and guitarist Eric Erlandson, broke up officially in 2002. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026 In real life, the Kennedy scion did receive such a letter and broke up with then-girlfriend Bessette as a result. Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke up
Verb
  • The hearing occurred the same day that CBS News imposed another sweeping round of layoffs and disbanded its CBS News radio network.
    Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
  • The commission has been disbanded, and the lottery is now overseen by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
    Dave Lieber, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Roughly one-fifth of global oil supply passes through it, but attacks on ships have stopped nearly all tanker traffic.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Greaves finished with 21 saves for Columbus, which had its four-game winning streak and 12-game points streak stopped.
    CBS News, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The use of social media by young people has divided tech executives.
    Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Today there are more than 30 million Kurds in a contiguous area in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey divided by external borders and historic internal differences.
    Jane Arraf, NPR, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • But the research center team has already cracked the code by designing a transparent hull that balances structural integrity with a 360-degree view.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Five Bruins landed in the first round, and four cracked the top 10.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Commercial traffic through the maritime chokepoint has virtually ceased since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, with Iran vowing to strike any vessels associated with the two countries or their partners.
    Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
  • After less than two weeks of training, hostilities ceased almost completely.
    Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The Middle East crisis has severely disrupted oil exports through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, which typically carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) and represents a key choke point for fertilizer trade.
    Sam Meredith, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Energy prices are volatile as the Iran conflict has disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
    Derek Chollet, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The pair, seemingly taken aback, laughed before ending the call.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
  • The audience inside the Dolby Theatre laughed at the joke, which drew attention to the disconnect between their ceremony and the ongoing war in the Middle East.
    Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The Hiram community is coming together to lay out concerns and solutions after a state senate bill called on the city to be dissolved.
    Monique John, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Late last year, the administration essentially dissolved the team dedicated to criminal tax enforcement, dividing responsibility among a number of other offices and divisions.
    Avi Asher-Schapiro, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Broke up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20up. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.

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