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
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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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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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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of break up
Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 1 Nov. 2024
Shortly before filming began, Beador had broken up with ex boyfriend John Janssen and gotten arrested for DUI.
—Liza Esquibias, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 4 Nov. 2024
Much of the season has revolved around Shannon Beador — a cast member who joined the show’s ninth season in 2014 and has since shared with viewers a tumultuous decade of her life, including her husband’s infidelity, her subsequent divorce, weight gain and now a breakup with a boyfriend.
—Louis Staples, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for break up 
Verb
Trees break up the steps of pulling the water from vessel to vessel so each step is smaller than the whole.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 1 Nov. 2024
Shortly before filming began, Beador had broken up with ex boyfriend John Janssen and gotten arrested for DUI.
—Liza Esquibias, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
The Puddy and Elaine had an infamously rocky relationship filled with breakups and reunions, sometimes occurring within a few minutes.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 4 Nov. 2024
Much of the season has revolved around Shannon Beador — a cast member who joined the show’s ninth season in 2014 and has since shared with viewers a tumultuous decade of her life, including her husband’s infidelity, her subsequent divorce, weight gain and now a breakup with a boyfriend.
—Louis Staples, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for break up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up
Verb
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America First limped along until disbanding in the wake of Japan’s December 1941 attack.Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Oct. 2024
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Martha Kegel, executive director of Unity of Greater New Orleans, a nonprofit that seeks permanent housing for unsheltered people, said moving the encampment was better than disbanding it as advocates had initially feared.Owen Tripp, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The Broad Fire burned around 33 acres, but its forward progress was stopped and firefighters were mopping up late Wednesday afternoon, Malibu’s city government said.Phil Helsel, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
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Behind every unresolved murder case is a family that never stopped mourning or yearning for justice.Alaa Elassar, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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For about a decade residents and city leaders were divided over how to redevelop the area, with some in support of maximizing the number of housing and office spaces and others resistant to adopting such large projects.Stephanie Lam, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
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State delegates who attended the convention were divided in their views on how the country should elect its president, with some suggesting Congress should choose the executive and others advocating for direct democracy, where citizens would vote to elect their leader.Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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But if anyone’s going to crack this case for real, the safe money’s on Houlihan, the eagle-eyed 25-year-old detective who seems to be the only one with a gut instinct worth following.Caroline Framke, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
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It has been used to crack some of the country’s most frustrating cold cases, most notably the arrest of the Golden State Killer in 2018.Alaa Elassar, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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People also could order food online to pick up at different locations with the Order Ahead program, but that service will cease when the Feed Rogers building opens and people can shop for their own food again.Gael Langdon, arkansasonline.com, 5 Nov. 2024
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But as Trump’s presidency went on and his comments and actions didn’t cease to shock, Weymar and her Tiny Pricks community remained as emboldened as ever to bear witness to and record the political climate through craft.Gabby Shacknai, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Harris supporters called Trump a threat to democracy for his refusal to concede his 2020 loss to Biden, unfounded election fraud claims and his supporters’ Capitol riot to disrupt Biden’s presidential certification.Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
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Trump's false claims of victory came to a head on January 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters rioted inside the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the formal confirmation of Biden as the winner of the 2020 election.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Everyone close to him felt special and blessed just to listen and learn and laugh.Ellise Shafer, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024
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Brent picks up on that and makes everyone else laugh about it.Ralph Jones, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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While delivered with a smile, the question was deadly serious in a congressional district with such an even partisan split that anything could happen to knock the future incumbent off kilter two years from now, as just happened to Democratic first-term Rep. Yadira Caraveo.John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 12 Nov. 2024
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The Paragon was one of few splits reliable enough to navigate through the garbage with a semblance of grace, all while encouraging riders to throw little spins, ride switch, and pop off rock-hard pillows without too much concern for landing stability.Outside Editors, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Break up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20up. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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