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
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
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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
Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
They were broken up for two years because of it.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
The couple, who dated for 10 months before marrying in 2004, have broken up and reconciled as coparents in recent years.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
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
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
Verb
As Curiosity climbs, the terrain shows a clear shift toward increasingly dry conditions, broken up by occasional wetter intervals when rivers and lakes briefly resurfaced.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
They were broken up for two years because of it.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
The couple, who dated for 10 months before marrying in 2004, have broken up and reconciled as coparents in recent years.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken up
Adjective
-
The plants are heat- and drought-resistant, and the divided, blue-green leaves add interest to the garden.—
Lynn McAlpine,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Republicans and Democrats remain divided on many policies and priorities.—
Justin Callais,
Twin Cities,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Order 2 disbanded the Iraqi army but did not disarm it.—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The Florida revelations came after the statewide New York Young Republicans chapter was disbanded last fall after antisemitic and racist messages between chapter leadership were leaked to the press.—
Andrew Lapin,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
These signals intensified recently when Kast abruptly ended the transition process after a clash with outgoing Boric over a project to install a submarine cable to connect Chile and China.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Voting for the Oscars ended March 5, possibly giving members of the academy just enough time to reconsider the slate of nominees.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Dorothy and Marino have moved out, Scarpetta is separated from Benton and Lucy is on the outs with her aunt.—
Emily Zemler,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
In a season where the top tier has separated itself from everyone else, Michigan has unfailingly remained consistent, never dipping lower than seventh in the nation (its preseason ranking).—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When confronted with this stat, captain and midfielder Ashley Westwood cracked a joke.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Mar. 2026
-
In the Los Angeles area and a few places around the San Francisco Bay Area, the cost of gas has cracked $5-per-gallon again and is even tipping toward $6 in a few places.—
Iris Kwok,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The threat of Iranian missile and drone attacks has all but stopped tankers carrying oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iran from traveling through the strait, which is bordered in the north by Iran.—
Alex Veiga,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
However, access stopped after airstrikes hit Iran’s major nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The conflict has disrupted energy production in the Middle East and led to a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route.—
Chloe Taylor,Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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The conflict has also disrupted airspace across parts of the Middle East, forcing airlines to reroute flights, particularly between Europe and Asia, along longer routes that burn more fuel and keep aircraft in the air for longer.—
Scott Campbell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Taking a deep breath, the Quantico alum giggled and then, leaning over, plunged her face straight into the ice.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Students giggled and gasped in disbelief.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20up. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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