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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
On the other side of the ball, Flowers, a defensive back, broke up a pass in the waning minutes.
—
Noah White, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025
Styles was most recently linked to Taylor Russell, though the three-time Grammy winner and the Bones and All actress, 31, broke up in May 2024 after less than a year of dating.
—Jen Juneau, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025
The Beatles fill four spaces on the Official Physical Singles chart this week — an incredible sum for a group that broke up in the 1970s.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Jeff McNeil, Francisco Alvarez and Starling Marte have been producing in the absence of the Mets’ big bats, but Soto was the one who broke up the no-hitter in the ninth inning last week against the Cleveland Guardians, and Soto is the one Mets fans are counting on to make something happen.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
Their affair broke up the band Attila, which impacted Joel’s mental health.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Noah White, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025
Styles was most recently linked to Taylor Russell, though the three-time Grammy winner and the Bones and All actress, 31, broke up in May 2024 after less than a year of dating.
—Jen Juneau, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025
The Beatles fill four spaces on the Official Physical Singles chart this week — an incredible sum for a group that broke up in the 1970s.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Jeff McNeil, Francisco Alvarez and Starling Marte have been producing in the absence of the Mets’ big bats, but Soto was the one who broke up the no-hitter in the ninth inning last week against the Cleveland Guardians, and Soto is the one Mets fans are counting on to make something happen.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
Their affair broke up the band Attila, which impacted Joel’s mental health.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke up
Verb
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When season 13 begins, Voight's (Jason Beghe) team is still disbanded following the death of Reid (Shawn Hatosy).—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Recent efforts to combat disinformation, including the State Department’s Global Engagement Center and the Department of Homeland Security’s Disinformation Governance Board, have been disbanded.—
Jill Goldenziel,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When asked why all shoppers didn’t get the notice, an Amazon spokesperson said the notice was sent to customers who registered for the Prime Invitee Program between the program's launch in 2009 and 2015, when the program stopped accepting new members.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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Providence is on a mission after being stopped two years in a row in the supersectional round.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The combination of the roof drain and the city line to the road malfunctioned, both contributing to flooding in the school's two 4K classrooms, which are two rooms that are joined together and are divided by a moveable wall.—
Alec Johnson,
jsonline.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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Some describe their lives as divided into Before-Katrina and After-Katrina.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Tech disruption has repeatedly cracked the foundations of zero-sum thinking, and offered a glimpse into a better alternative.—
Ravi Kumar,
Time,
25 Aug. 2025
-
LaRavia is a solid young forward prospect, but he's played 136 career games, and has only barely cracked 2,500 minutes.—
Morten Stig Jensen,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Others are finding elegant endings, like Links Hall, which ceased operations this summer after nearly four decades as a hub for small, experimental performance.—
Lauren Warnecke,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
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Palisades ceased operating in May 2022 after providing electricity for over 50 years in southwest Michigan.—
Noël Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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When gamma rhythms are disrupted, as has been observed in ADHD, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease, signals may arrive out of step and fail to get through cleanly, resulting in poorer attention and memory functioning.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Sep. 2025
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In this game, the creatures are called Anima and they’ve been scattered all across the world when the balance of the magical ‘Nexus’ is disrupted.—
David Jagneaux,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cannon laughed throughout the explanation as Bregman and Avanti-Fischer teased her.—
Emily Trainham,
FOXNews.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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The trio laughed at his sly line of questioning.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Sahroni has faced accusations of responding insensitively to people calling for parliament to be dissolved amid anger over lawmakers’ allowances.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
31 Aug. 2025
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After the House settlement, both schools dissolved their ties with collectives, but many schools still have them in a new era that is essentially a gigantic, expensive experiment.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broke up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20up. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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