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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break up
Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 18 Jan. 2025
With a frigid polar vortex set to grip huge swaths of the U.S. in the coming days, the city could see anywhere between 3 and 5 inches of snow before the quick-moving but significant storm breaks up in the early hours of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2025
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 
Verb
But Tommy's storyline took a turn, with the EMT breaking up with Trevor and currently battling cancer.
—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 18 Jan. 2025
With a frigid polar vortex set to grip huge swaths of the U.S. in the coming days, the city could see anywhere between 3 and 5 inches of snow before the quick-moving but significant storm breaks up in the early hours of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 18 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
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After the Discovery acquisition was completed a year ago, that unit was disbanded and Ascheim exited the company.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2025
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Last year, the net zero alliance for insurers disbanded after losing about half its members, and Climate Action 100+, a group for investors, has suffered departures of prominent members.—
Eshe Nelson,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, D.C. has stopped its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, following an executive order by President Donald Trump to end these programs on Monday.—
Francesca Aton,
ARTnews.com,
24 Jan. 2025
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But a Chinese bus attendant who tried to stop the attacker later died of her wounds.—
Chris Lau,
CNN,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The galleries are categorized according to three themes — religion, kingship, and society — and divided into historical eras: Predynastic, the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, the Late Kingdom, Ptolemaic (Greek) Egypt, and the Roman period.—
Kate McMahon,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Jan. 2025
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Americans largely support Trump's mass deportation plans, but are divided on how they should be carried out.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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But once the cowboys are done rifling through Pierre’s luggage, packed to the brim with wine, bread, cheese, and French fries, Slim decides to crack out the Budweiser and let the Parisian stay.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 Jan. 2025
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Also worth nothing, Prime Video’s Beast Games cracked the streaming originals Top 10 with 398M viewing minutes, as did Apple’s Silo with 417M. See more below.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2025
Verb
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California’s state and local governments can apply pressure by ceasing the collection of federal withholding tax dollars from their employees.—
Joe Mathews,
The Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2025
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They were told that all such groups would have to disband and cease their activities, which included outreach to employers and employees.—
E. Tammy Kim,
The New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
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This sweeping decision could disrupt housing assistance, healthcare and education programs, disaster relief, and other programs that depend on federal dollars.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Jan. 2025
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The combination of strong winds and cold temperatures may also create concerns for those relying on heating sources that could be disrupted by power outages.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Both appeared to be in great spirits for the outing, with photographers snapping the pair laughing, smiling and holding holds.—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
24 Jan. 2025
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The parties, my best friends and I threw every now and then, whenever the school stressed us out, to let off some steam and feel less stressed by criticizing the school system together laughing until our sides ached, those were the nights that built the bonds that truly mattered.—
Amal Murtaja,
TIME,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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When Stern, now 71, who pressed Morissette, now 50, on the subject, asked if any of her music was inspired by the split, the singer-songwriter responded by acknowledging that only two life forces truly create music: infatuation and heartbreak.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
30 Jan. 2025
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Before Christina and Josh split, they were set to compete as a team against Tarek and Heather in the house flipping showdown.—
Natalia Senanayake,
People.com,
30 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Break up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20up. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
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