BREAK UP Synonyms: 314 Similar and Opposite Words

break up 1 of 2

verb

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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breakup

2 of 2

noun

ˈbrāk-ˌəp

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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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 break up

Verb

Officials said the unseasonably mild temperatures will melt and break up the ice remaining on the rivers and possibly cause flooding. —

Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2025 James had even posted a restaurant review from their trip to London on Jan. 15, one day before the pair broke up. —

Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025

Noun

The director has a four-film deal with Sony to tell the story of the band leading up to their 1970s breakup, with one movie dedicated to each member. —

Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025 The course of true love never did run smooth for the central couple in HBO’s Insecure, winding through breakups and career pressures along the way. —

Gia Yetikyel, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for break up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up

Verb

Warehouse: Songs and Stories was the end of the road, though, with Hüsker Dü disbanding less than a year after its release.

— Al Shipley, SPIN, 4 Feb. 2025
However, the task force later disbanded, and both departments continued working on the individual cases with the FBI's assistance, MacVeigh said.

— Mollie Markowitz, Fox News, 2 Feb. 2025