1
as in to disband
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stop
to come to an end
the meeting broke up when all the business for the day had been completed
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3
as in to divide
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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4
as in to crack
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
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5
as in to cease
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 to disrupt
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
break up the feta cheese and spread it over the salad
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7
as in to laugh
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
as in split
the act or process of a whole separating into two or more parts or pieces
the breakup of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism pretty much signaled the end of the Cold War
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break up
Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
Hargrove suggests people experiencing these issues break up financial tasks instead of trying to do them all on the same day.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2026
The original plaintiffs were crystal clear that a breakup would be required to restore competition to this market, and to help prices come down in this space.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break up
Verb
While Fisher’s athleticism leaves a lot to be desired, his high IQ and ability to diagnose from the middle make up for athletic limitations with an extra step on breaking up an offensive rhythm.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
Hargrove suggests people experiencing these issues break up financial tasks instead of trying to do them all on the same day.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
Using computer simulations to model the breakup in detail, Jiao's team found that Saturn's tidal forces would have preferentially stripped away the moon's icy mantle while leaving much of its rocky core intact.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2026
The original plaintiffs were crystal clear that a breakup would be required to restore competition to this market, and to help prices come down in this space.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up
Verb
-
The franchise disbanded after the 2008 season.—
Doug Feinberg,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The franchise disbanded after the 2008 season.—
Doug Feinberg,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Asking the engineers to stop designing a firing squad chamber for the state of Idaho to execute death-row prisoners.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Apr. 2026
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The Yankees went a perfect 5-for-5 with ABS challenges in Monday’s 2-1 walk-off loss to the Mariners, but that didn’t stop Boone and company from barking at home plate umpire Mike Estabrook.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The site is being divided into several parcels, one destined for a Yokohama-like building with an attached hotel, another for housing, a third for shipping perishable freight.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Polls show the nation is sharply divided over the issue of American citizenship for newborn children of unauthorized immigrants.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Modern encryption uses math equations that would take conventional computers trillions of years to crack.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
27 Mar. 2026
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Now cosmologists in the international Collaboration for Observations, Models and Predictions of Anomalies and Cosmic Topology (COMPACT) have pushed, and the tidy picture is cracking.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Under the emergency order, the school must immediately cease operations and may not provide massage education services in Texas unless otherwise authorized.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Your intelligence, your generosity, your courage, and your great sensitivity never cease to move me.—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Houthis have previously attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea to disrupt the flow of oil, gas and other commodities through the Bab el-Mandeb strait.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Gas prices have surged past $4 per gallon for the first time in more than three years on Tuesday, according to data from GasBuddy, as the war in Iran continues to disrupt global oil supplies.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some celebrities have gotten mad at him about the interactions, and some of them laugh about it with him.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
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Jamaica born About a hundred people gathered to lay Wilson to rest, singing, crying and laughing while remembering his kind heart, his hard work and his famous barbecue ribs and chicken wings.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The closeness between the Guards and the clerical regime over the past 20 years, Riboua argued, means a large ideological split from the old regime may not be forthcoming.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Alexander is the first NBC journalist to cross over to MS NOW since the split.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20up. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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