1
as in disbanding
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 ending
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 dividing
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 losing it
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 stopping
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 disrupting
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 laughing
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of breaking up
Terrion Arnold #0 of the Detroit Lions celebrates after breaking up a 4th down pass in the end zone against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at Ford Field on September 30, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
—
Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Chapter One opens with Ocean, a Korean space pilot, breaking up with her boyfriend at a Korean BBQ restaurant.
—Elaine U. Cho
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
After breaking up in 2000, the Jesus Lizard reunited in 2008 to play a brief tour, including a set at Pitchfork Music Festival the following year.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 5 Aug. 2025
Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Chapter One opens with Ocean, a Korean space pilot, breaking up with her boyfriend at a Korean BBQ restaurant.
—Elaine U. Cho
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
After breaking up in 2000, the Jesus Lizard reunited in 2008 to play a brief tour, including a set at Pitchfork Music Festival the following year.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking up
Verb
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With the group only set to work together for two-and-a-half years, IZ*ONE managed to sell nearly three million records across their K- and J-pop releases before officially disbanding in April 2021.—
Jeff Benjamin,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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The Turtles would release two more albums — 1968’s The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands and 1969’s Turtle Soup — before disbanding in 1970.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Total gross for the week ending September 14 was $30,128,088, a boost of about 20% over the previous week and 18% over this time last year.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
16 Sep. 2025
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The move has puzzled many since ending the program would bar every company, including oil firms, from accessing federal subsidies for capturing carbon or producing hydrogen fuel.—
Natasha Bracken,
semafor.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That includes a subdivision map dividing the property into six lots and a request to replace the current zoning with a custom zoning plan tailored to The Village.—
Mona Darwish,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
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The network originated as an effort to accelerate the collapse of modern society by exacerbating social tensions and dividing society through violence, and has roots in white supremacy and fascism, Kriner said.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To my surprise, Gary Friedman, the CEO and visionary behind the brand, was in the restaurant, casually moving between tables and greeting guests before graciously stopping at ours.—
Erica Wertheim Zohar,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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One video was a loop showing the moment of impact in slow-motion, stopping before blood is seen.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, the president’s criticism of mail-in ballots could risk disrupting the inroads Republicans made with voters last cycle, with the party spending millions promoting mail-in ballots ahead of the 2024 election.—
Hailey Bullis,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
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The limitations placed on these researchers is disrupting NASA’s work and could stymie the careers of younger Chinese researchers who came to the US to advance their scientific work, as well as benefit the space agency through their findings, the sources said.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And there in front of us on a platform were these beautiful women in crisp uniforms with makeup and lipstick and blonde, long hair and these SS men, young men, strong and well fed…laughing…having a great time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Sep. 2025
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Everyone just started laughing at him and showed their pets around them.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Last June, Altor, a private equity firm based in Stockholm, snapped up Renewcell’s assets and rechristened the company Circulose after its dissolving pulp product.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
15 Sep. 2025
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Glycerin helps maintain balance, so skin feels clarified, not stripped, while lecithin aids in dissolving debris, and myrtle leaf water provides an antioxidant boost.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Federal pandemic funding is expiring, leaving many districts with budget cuts approaching 8%.—
Jaime Catmull,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has pitched the short-term extension as a way to keep the government open so negotiations can proceed on fuller budget talks and cross-party negotiations on the expiring Obamacare subsidies.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20up. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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