as in divided
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ended
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 separated
to set or force apart
he broke up the rocks in the old stone wall with a crowbar, sending them tumbling to the ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 stopped
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 giggled
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
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 broken up
Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
The pastel hues are broken up at the bottom of this pair with burgundy rubber below the shoe’s signature Abzorb SBS cushioning pods.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
The administration, however, views public schools as a monopoly that should be broken up.
—Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
Citizens broke ground on the DigIndy project in 2013 and started with mining the tunnel system, which was broken up into different sections.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025
The first two were successfully broken up by park security.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
After sampling, genetic material—the creature’s DNA—is collected from cells and then broken up into fragments that are short enough to be read by the sequencing machines.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
Lyrics from the project prompted concerns that the band, which also includes Taylor York and Zac Farro, had broken up.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Different from other Charlotte's Web adaptations being feature-length films, this special being broken up into three parts (each about 43 minutes long) helps the story feel both bigger and more manageable for families who want to take it in at their own pace.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
The stark black silhouette is broken up by an oak handle to add some visual interest.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
The pastel hues are broken up at the bottom of this pair with burgundy rubber below the shoe’s signature Abzorb SBS cushioning pods.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
The administration, however, views public schools as a monopoly that should be broken up.
—Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
Citizens broke ground on the DigIndy project in 2013 and started with mining the tunnel system, which was broken up into different sections.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025
The first two were successfully broken up by park security.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
After sampling, genetic material—the creature’s DNA—is collected from cells and then broken up into fragments that are short enough to be read by the sequencing machines.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
Lyrics from the project prompted concerns that the band, which also includes Taylor York and Zac Farro, had broken up.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Different from other Charlotte's Web adaptations being feature-length films, this special being broken up into three parts (each about 43 minutes long) helps the story feel both bigger and more manageable for families who want to take it in at their own pace.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken up
Adjective
-
European markets fell after a divided Bank of England kept its main interest rate unchanged.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
-
It’s supported by a broad coalition of industry leaders, environmentalists, chefs, fishermen and scientists—in a time that feels so divided, this is an awesome example of people coming together.—
Amanda Leland,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The band Van Halen disbanded after Eddie's death.—
Sarah Sotoodeh,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The Beatles disbanded in 1970, and McCartney went on to forge a successful solo career, both on his own and with his band Wings.—
Rachel DeSantis,
PEOPLE,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Jim Irsay stood beside his private jet just days after the 2021 season ended and made sure the camera was rolling to capture his thoughts.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The first four episodes of Netflix's Squid Game reality competition series ended on an intense cliffhanger.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Upon landing, the men separated and tried to flee but most were captured that same day.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Others abused alcohol and drugs, were separated and divorced, or acted out violently.—
Arianna Huffington,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Now, Italian researchers have finally cracked the case.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
-
For an unfussy dessert that’s actually meant to be burnt and cracked on the sides, make this cheesecake.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
31 Oct. 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
-
The outage stems from a lapse in federal funding during the shutdown that began at the end of September, which temporarily disrupted FLAG access and paused the processing of employer applications.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Of 763 water systems on the island, 641 were disrupted.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The Duchess of Sussex panned the camera past a candle from As ever's holiday product drop (one of the two candles was inspired by her royal wedding to Prince Harry), giggled and showed her two rescue dogs.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
-
And the tow truck went flying through the air as both boys giggled.—
Brad Schmitt,
Nashville Tennessean,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20up. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share