broken up 1 of 2

broken up

2 of 2

verb

past participle 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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
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
6
7

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
Verb
Defensive tackle Will Echoles consistently disrupted the Missouri offensive front for five tackles, two broken up passes, one sack and one quarterback hurry. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 To give the episodes shape, each is broken up into several mini-narratives, such as a mother cheetah learning to adapt her hunting style to mountainous rocky terrain in order to catch prey for her hungry cubs. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 4 Oct. 2026 And in all that time, according to STATS, not a single no-hitter has been broken up on a triple by a catcher — in the eighth inning or later, regular season or postseason. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Over time, these rocks are fragmented and broken up into small mineral particles by plant roots forcing open cracks, or lichens secreting chemicals that dissolve rocks to release nutrients. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 In an August 2026 census of both red and blue dots broken up into different eras, Kocevski of Colby College and his collaborators found exactly that pattern. — Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026 MomTok has convened at Jen’s because Taylor has allegedly broken up with Dakota for good. — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026 Peli and the girlfriend who lived with him had broken up, and Staci visited the house after the film’s release. — Anna Russell, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 During the same period, Justin Fields had a pass intended for wide receiver Jason Brownlee broken up by cornerback D’Arco Perkins-McAllister. — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken up
Adjective
  • Historically, stocks have performed well under divided government.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Panera customers on Reddit were somewhat divided in their opinions about the spinach, avocado and egg white sandwich.
    — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • That summer, more than a dozen Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents signed a letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, calling for the agency to be disbanded.
    — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The association disbanded after several deaths and resignations, according to Lewis.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Mitchell ended the night with 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting on threes and seven assists.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
  • That ended a 144-minute scoreless streak for Angel City keeper Angelina Anderson.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Beckman portrayed the first lady's work on the ceasefire as an extension of her efforts to help reunite Russian and Ukrainian children with their families after they were separated by Russia's war against Ukraine.
    — BEN FINLEY, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Her parents had recently separated, and her mother, Alta Apantenco, was working as a waitress to support herself and her young daughter.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • An exorbitant Costco egg order at Monterey school cracked open a ‘disgusting’ embezzlement scheme, police say.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
  • One owner, u/leftyhyzer16, said the screen cracked before setup was complete, after opening and closing the phone only a few times.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said Friday afternoon that all four Moscow airports -- Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky -- stopped flights arriving and departing for security reasons.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • If only the Hornets could have stopped the game after one possession apiece.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In the second, the expiry was flagged on Friday, someone caught it and the issue never disrupted employees.
    — Tal Dagan, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Unusually wet conditions disrupted Brazil's sugarcane harvest, while drought and other weather extremes affected production in other major growing regions.
    — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The two giggled momentarily before Quiñonez turned back and answered candidly.
    — Jake McCreven, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Brandy and Goldberg smiled and giggled throughout the entire show, full of joy as the models twirled and commanded the runway in pieces ranging from cocktail dresses to red carpet-worthy gowns.
    — Anika Reed, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Broken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20up. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster