as in divided
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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
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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 stopped
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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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of broken up
Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2026
The remaining judges are typically broken up into three groups of two to evaluate each section of the course.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
This result is a high-scoring alley-oop-fest broken up only by about a million three-point attempts.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
The city has broken up clusters of RVs and directed residents into short-term shelters, including tiny homes and hotels.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
Three Dog Night released its first album in 1968 — among the other members were Michael Allsup, Jimmy Greenspoon, Joe Schermie and Floyd Sneed — but by the mid-’70s the band had broken up.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
The Grizzlies won at least 48 games in three of the last four seasons — including 56 in 2021-22 — but did not advance beyond the second round with the core that is now being broken up.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
His friend invites him and Mu Hee to a Christmas party, but Ho Jin says they’re broken up right now.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Even with All-American Bishop Fitzgerald and future NFL player Kamari Ramsey at safety, USC’s defense ranked 16th out of 18 Big Ten teams in passes broken up with 30.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
Stewart, on the bench and out of the game, sprinted onto the court and sought out Bridges, leading Bridges and Stewart to square off before things were finally broken up.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2026
The remaining judges are typically broken up into three groups of two to evaluate each section of the course.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
This result is a high-scoring alley-oop-fest broken up only by about a million three-point attempts.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
The city has broken up clusters of RVs and directed residents into short-term shelters, including tiny homes and hotels.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
Three Dog Night released its first album in 1968 — among the other members were Michael Allsup, Jimmy Greenspoon, Joe Schermie and Floyd Sneed — but by the mid-’70s the band had broken up.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
The Grizzlies won at least 48 games in three of the last four seasons — including 56 in 2021-22 — but did not advance beyond the second round with the core that is now being broken up.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
His friend invites him and Mu Hee to a Christmas party, but Ho Jin says they’re broken up right now.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Even with All-American Bishop Fitzgerald and future NFL player Kamari Ramsey at safety, USC’s defense ranked 16th out of 18 Big Ten teams in passes broken up with 30.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken up
Adjective
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Israel and Hamas remain divided over the timeline and scope of Israel's withdrawal and the demilitarization of the enclave after nearly two decades of Hamas rule.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Israel and Hamas remain divided over the timeline and scope of Israel’s withdrawal and the demilitarization of the enclave after nearly two decades of Hamas rule.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Dozens of civil society groups were disbanded.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Advertisement But pro-democracy figures have argued that local governance has grown increasingly aligned with the mainland as political dissidents have either been jailed or exiled, organizations have disbanded, and a free press dismantled.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The only power conference teams with two losses that Texas (9-3) finished above were Vanderbilt, which lost to Texas, and Utah, which did not beat a team that ended the season ranked.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
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The loss ended the Hornets' bid to match a franchise record with 10 straight wins.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Officials said the project could benefit the salamander by reconnecting habitat areas that have been separated by erosion.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The living and sleeping areas can be separated by a curtain, giving the feeling of a two-bedroom suite.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Denver’s defense had already lagged a bit after the bye week — the Commanders and Packers each scored 26 points and at times gave the Broncos fits — but Lawrence led one of the few offensive outings that really cracked this group open.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
15 Feb. 2026
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But the recent stretch of consecutive days of frigid temperatures that hardly cracked the 20s and got down to negative degrees was longer than Klossner, 54, is used to.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That has not stopped him from being a frequent guest on cable and network television.—
Max Rego,
The Hill,
16 Feb. 2026
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Only recently had many countries stopped treating solo female travelers as a problem to be managed, no longer refusing them hotel rooms when traveling without a man, or denying them credit cards to pay for it.—
Lilit Marcus,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Since June, federal immigration raids have disrupted neighborhoods and communities across Los Angeles and around the nation, including at work sites, along neighborhood streets and in commercial areas.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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This has disrupted standing deployment plans, scrambled ships to sail thousands of miles and put increasing strain on vessels and equipment that are already facing mounting maintenance issues.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Students giggled and gasped in disbelief.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Why Don’t We alum Daniel Seavey and a group of friends giggled by a bar.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20up. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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