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
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Recent Examples of broken up
Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Children and teens may receive multiple vaccines before adulthood; these are often broken up into multiple doses.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2025
Magbanua testified that after the undercover agent approached Donna, Charles called her frantically about the situation even though they’d been long broken up.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
Make sure that any hard areas have been broken up to allow the roots to settle in and spread.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2025
The Glass Fire’s burn scar has broken up what would have been continuous fuel beds in some areas, according to Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit spokesperson Jason Clay.
—The Press Democrat, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2025
Due to the technical limitations of the time, MGS3 and its predecessors built sprawling worlds that can often be retraced but are broken up at every turn.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
However, the relationship was short-lived as Us Weekly reported in 2016 that the two had broken up.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 22 Aug. 2025
My gamble paid off because the shed took me and my 6-year-old son about eight hours to build — broken up into a few days — with the only headaches in the process caused by one simple mistake.
—Clint Davis, People.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Williams also then confirmed that despite her recently releasing a new solo album — Ego Death at a Bachelorette — the band is not broken up.
—Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Children and teens may receive multiple vaccines before adulthood; these are often broken up into multiple doses.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2025
Magbanua testified that after the undercover agent approached Donna, Charles called her frantically about the situation even though they’d been long broken up.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
Make sure that any hard areas have been broken up to allow the roots to settle in and spread.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2025
The Glass Fire’s burn scar has broken up what would have been continuous fuel beds in some areas, according to Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit spokesperson Jason Clay.
—The Press Democrat, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2025
Due to the technical limitations of the time, MGS3 and its predecessors built sprawling worlds that can often be retraced but are broken up at every turn.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
However, the relationship was short-lived as Us Weekly reported in 2016 that the two had broken up.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 22 Aug. 2025
My gamble paid off because the shed took me and my 6-year-old son about eight hours to build — broken up into a few days — with the only headaches in the process caused by one simple mistake.
—Clint Davis, People.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken up
Verb
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When season 13 begins, Voight's (Jason Beghe) team is still disbanded following the death of Reid (Shawn Hatosy).—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Recent efforts to combat disinformation, including the State Department’s Global Engagement Center and the Department of Homeland Security’s Disinformation Governance Board, have been disbanded.—
Jill Goldenziel,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Milan’s fifth triumph in 1994 put them one behind the Spanish side, but this ended when Madrid picked up their seventh crown in 1998 and remains the closest anybody has got to them.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Billy Williams ended a streak of playing in 1,117 consecutive games.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That left 10-year-old Sheba Jackson separated from her mother, Beverly Burke.—
Mandi Wright,
Freep.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
Lion Based on a true story of an Indian boy raised by adoptive parents in Australia, this 2016 drama follows Saroo Brierley (Dev Patel), who embarks on a life-changing journey to India in search of his biological mother and brother, whom he was separated from 25 years earlier.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Tech disruption has repeatedly cracked the foundations of zero-sum thinking, and offered a glimpse into a better alternative.—
Ravi Kumar,
Time,
25 Aug. 2025
-
LaRavia is a solid young forward prospect, but he's played 136 career games, and has only barely cracked 2,500 minutes.—
Morten Stig Jensen,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
When asked why all shoppers didn’t get the notice, an Amazon spokesperson said the notice was sent to customers who registered for the Prime Invitee Program between the program's launch in 2009 and 2015, when the program stopped accepting new members.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Providence is on a mission after being stopped two years in a row in the supersectional round.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The millisecond mark has been broken a handful of times this year, with the most recent being July 11, according to the data published by TimeandDate.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
5 Aug. 2025
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As researchers push closer to building scalable quantum machines, long-standing encryption protocols such as RSA and ECC could be broken, making previously secure data fair game.—
Kolawole Samuel Adebayo,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Two teen-age girls, joining a crowd trailing him, giggled and teared up.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
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Even among those participating though, some giggled and guffawed, while others stayed stone-faced.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In case of a snap election, opinion polls show the new parliament would probably remain divided without an outright majority for any political camp.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
26 Aug. 2025
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In an age of social media and with ever more divided public opinions, landing one universal message can be difficult, Wilson noted.—
Karen Gilchrist,
CNBC,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20up. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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