1
as in disbands
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 stops
to come to an end
the meeting broke up when all the business for the day had been completed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in divides
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in cracks
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in ceases
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 disrupts
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 laughs
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 breaks up
While Sam begins hallucinating people as puppets, Justin breaks up with him.
—
Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Belly, devastated by the betrayal, slaps Jeremiah and breaks up with him.
—Alexandra Hurtado, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Needless to say, Bobby breaks up with her later.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Belly, devastated by the betrayal, slaps Jeremiah and breaks up with him.
—Alexandra Hurtado, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Needless to say, Bobby breaks up with her later.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks up
Verb
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And once the dog is found, the Search Party network disbands.—
Mike Feibus,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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DiCaprio plays Bob, a revolutionary in hiding with his teen daughter (Chase Infiniti) after his activist group the French 75 disbands in chaos.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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According to the death certificate from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, obtained by Rolling Stone, O’Hara’s immediate cause of death was a pulmonary embolism (a clot that stops blood from flowing to an artery in the lung).—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
9 Feb. 2026
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In between dancing and singing and falling backward in the hands of fellow performers, Bad Bunny stops at what looks like a bar on set to get a drink from none other than Brooklyn’s legendary owner of one of the last surviving Puerto Rican social clubs in New York City.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The company divides services into distinct phases — typically including investigation, resolution and ongoing support — helping taxpayers understand how their case progresses from evaluation to resolution.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
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Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said the two men were hit near the ceasefire line that divides Gaza, with one half under Israeli military control.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That is what literally cracks open everything.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
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Anthony cracks Top 50 Roman Anthony only has 71 big league games under his belt, but the promising Red Sox outfielder is already earning widespread acclaim from across the sport.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The agreement includes a claw back provision that requires repayment of a portion of the incentive if QT9 ceases operating at the building within six years of occupying it.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
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The world never ceases to produce grist for discussion.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Recent weather extremes in the South and East are examples of what global warming can cause — a warmer Arctic that disrupts the polar vortex and pushes cold weather and snow farther south.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
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Bad Bunny disrupts this pattern by refusing separation between cultural celebration and political truth.—
Dr. Carlos A Torre,
Hartford Courant,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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TikTokers around the world are racking up likes and laughs with their impressions of owls.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
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Nahmias turned 33 on January 7; and while many other Millennials—the generation of the overwhelmed and overstimulated—would show frustration with the noise, Nahmias laughs it off.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On a more technical level, it's made from cellulose fibers that undergo treatment with sulfuric acid or zinc chloride, which partially dissolves the paper's surface to create a barrier that can resist moisture and high temperatures.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2026
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Although most of the fragments in it show figurative details, the picture overall dissolves into an abstract pattern.—
Benjamin Lima
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaks up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20up. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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