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 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 broken
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
as in divided
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken up
Verb
-
The federal cuts effectively disbanded the department’s Office of Language Acquisition, which oversees resources for these students.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Mar. 2025 -
After the group disbanded in 1987, their work was not recognized by any major art institution until 2011.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
However, an avalanche, which claimed the lives of multiple sherpas in 2014, ended the shoot early.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
22 Mar. 2025
-
While the Heat’s losing skid continued, another streak ended.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Data held in qubits is affected by data held in other qubits, even when physically separated.—
Chuck Brooks,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Nellie, who was separated from her husband, lived alone in a house not far from Clinton.—
Rachel Aviv,
The New Yorker,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
That was why the tractor had stopped.—
Peter Ross,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 Jan. 2025
-
In the first day or so after the snow stopped falling, Unified Government crews focused on clearing major thoroughfares.—
Alecia Taylor,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
If the piece was indeed destroyed, Warner may have broken the law.—
Andrew Travers,
The Hollywood Reporter,
8 Jan. 2025
-
At first it was sold at Macy’s department store in large sheets broken into smaller pieces, then in the 1940s, the company sold its own candy bar size in stores.—
John Mariani,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Good News Despite all the dire messaging from social media and other outlets about how divided Democrats and Republicans are on civic education, there is less division than meets the eye.—
Bruno V. Manno,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
But recent revelations say the divided response to the last album cycle read too much into the bubbly early-aughts nostalgia on its aesthetic surface, not recognizing Solar’s pursuit of joy, smallness, and sated inaccessibility as coping strategies.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Most importantly, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 1994 and ceased all political activities soon afterward.—
W. James Antle III,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
14 Mar. 2025
-
The New York Giants’ high hopes for him last year quickly faded and completely ceased after the Giants lost in overtime to the Carolina Panthers in Germany — a game in which Jones only threw for 190 yards and was intercepted twice.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
In November, two fiber-optic Baltic Sea cables were severed.—
Rebecca Rosman,
NPR,
31 Dec. 2024
-
Iran’s land bridge to Hezbollah has been severed by the fall of Syria’s Assad regime.—
Dina Kraft,
The Christian Science Monitor,
30 Dec. 2024
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.
Cite this Entry
“Broken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20up. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share