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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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
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 19 July 2025
Vargas realized the man needed medical attention and called an ambulance, which came to treat the man and broke up the operation.
—Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 28 July 2025
Brown had 11 tackles in 12 games with one pass breakup last season and Graham enrolled early at USC after being ranked as the No. 5 player in the state of Michigan by 247Sports.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Verb
Despite the critical praise and relative success received by City High’s first and only album, the trio — including Ryan Toby and Claudette Ortiz — ultimately broke up in 2003 after just four years of working together.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 19 July 2025
Vargas realized the man needed medical attention and called an ambulance, which came to treat the man and broke up the operation.
—Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025
Noun
Part of the problem was that many of the friends had differing philosophies on how to deal with the bitter breakup between Tom and Ariana.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 28 July 2025
Brown had 11 tackles in 12 games with one pass breakup last season and Graham enrolled early at USC after being ranked as the No. 5 player in the state of Michigan by 247Sports.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up
Verb
-
By the time Geldof held a press conference to roll out the first lineup of Live Aid, the Who had been disbanded for several years.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2025
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Efforts that support diversity, equity and inclusion have been disbanded by federal and state governments.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
18 July 2025
Verb
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Shortly after Braun’s executive order, the Indiana Department of Health told local health departments to stop accepting requests to change genders on birth certificates.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
24 July 2025
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During a ride-along with Florida Highway Patrol in July, the Washington Examiner saw state troopers who were deputized to work with Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement stop drivers for traffic offenses and turn them over to federal immigration authorities in the region.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
23 July 2025
Verb
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Hamilton County residents are divided on the new lease terms for Paycor Stadium.—
Erin Glynn,
The Enquirer,
25 July 2025
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The California health system has divided his former positions amongst Michael Condrin (interim CEO) and Dr. Bruce Lee Hall (interim vice chancellor of human health sciences).—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
Verb
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If that foundation isn’t strong, the entire system starts to crack.—
Kolawole Samuel Adebayo,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
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Tesla was the only Magnificent 7 tech giant to fail to crack the top 100, landing at No. 106 (up by 4).—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
30 July 2025
Verb
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Which is yet another reason for politicians to cease trying to corrupt the brilliance of freely arrived at price signals.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
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Historic vote guts public media nationally On May 1, Trump issued an executive order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the private nonprofit that manages the federal money for public media, to cease funding of NPR and PBS.—
Angele Latham,
The Tennessean,
30 July 2025
Verb
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Underneath the fun exterior, Red Bull was serious about its ambitions of disrupting F1’s front-runners and assembling a team that was capable of winning a championship.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
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Frequent use can disrupt normal bowel function and lead to laxative dependence or chronic constipation.7 Only use castor oil under medical guidance.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
11 July 2025
Verb
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In addition, footage from a 1999 Victoria’s Secret fashion event in New York shows Trump and Epstein laughing and chatting together ahead of the runway event.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
23 July 2025
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Hayward then screamed and laughed after some water went into her mouth.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
People.com,
23 July 2025
Noun
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In a video shared on her Instagram on July 29, the author and public speaker — who announced her split from the Party of Five star last month — documented her attempts to enter the Park City, Utah home with police present.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
29 July 2025
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Following a period of intense speculation, the WBD split was revealed last month.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20up. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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