1
as in disbanded
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 stopped
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 divided
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 cracked
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 ceased
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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6
as in disrupted
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 laughed
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of broke up
Emmanwori broke up 11 passes this year.
—
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
The group opened for Ray Charles in 1963 but broke up the following year.
—Andrew Dalton, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Roope Hintz broke up Dostál’s shutout in the dying embers.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 14 Jan. 2026
After The Beatles broke up in 1970, Paul McCartney released two solo albums, but then sought to get back into a band setting.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 14 Jan. 2026
Antoine was called for a pass interference during Mississippi’s late TD drive but also broke up a pass that could have been a first down.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
In 2024, officials broke up a multistate trafficking operation based on the Crow reservation that distributed drugs to other Montana reservations.
—Katheryn Houghton, NPR, 8 Jan. 2026
Kelce and Nicole, 34, broke up multiple times throughout their five years together, and made several public comments and back-and-forths about each other on social media and in interviews over the years.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Drop Nineteens broke up in 1995 and reunited in 2022.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2025
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
The group opened for Ray Charles in 1963 but broke up the following year.
—Andrew Dalton, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Roope Hintz broke up Dostál’s shutout in the dying embers.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 14 Jan. 2026
After The Beatles broke up in 1970, Paul McCartney released two solo albums, but then sought to get back into a band setting.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 14 Jan. 2026
Antoine was called for a pass interference during Mississippi’s late TD drive but also broke up a pass that could have been a first down.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
In 2024, officials broke up a multistate trafficking operation based on the Crow reservation that distributed drugs to other Montana reservations.
—Katheryn Houghton, NPR, 8 Jan. 2026
Kelce and Nicole, 34, broke up multiple times throughout their five years together, and made several public comments and back-and-forths about each other on social media and in interviews over the years.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Drop Nineteens broke up in 1995 and reunited in 2022.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke up
Verb
-
Dozens of civil society groups were disbanded.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Advertisement But pro-democracy figures have argued that local governance has grown increasingly aligned with the mainland as political dissidents have either been jailed or exiled, organizations have disbanded, and a free press dismantled.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That has not stopped him from being a frequent guest on cable and network television.—
Max Rego,
The Hill,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Only recently had many countries stopped treating solo female travelers as a problem to be managed, no longer refusing them hotel rooms when traveling without a man, or denying them credit cards to pay for it.—
Lilit Marcus,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If he’s confirmed by the Senate to lead the central bank after Chair Jerome Powell’s term ends in May, Warsh will preside over a 12-person rate-setting committee that has become starkly divided in recent months.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The reception was packed with a who's who and just as the doors opened, the crowd divided like the Red Sea.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Denver’s defense had already lagged a bit after the bye week — the Commanders and Packers each scored 26 points and at times gave the Broncos fits — but Lawrence led one of the few offensive outings that really cracked this group open.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
15 Feb. 2026
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But the recent stretch of consecutive days of frigid temperatures that hardly cracked the 20s and got down to negative degrees was longer than Klossner, 54, is used to.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Striking out on his own Kaszas was born in Budapest in May 1987, two years to the week before the Iron Curtain crumbled and Hungary’s Communist regime ceased to exist.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Brazil thus ceased to be a peripheral observer of this geopolitical playbook and became its active protagonist, setting the stage for the doctrine’s most devastating domestic application.—
Evandro Cruz Silva,
The Dial,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Since June, federal immigration raids have disrupted neighborhoods and communities across Los Angeles and around the nation, including at work sites, along neighborhood streets and in commercial areas.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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This has disrupted standing deployment plans, scrambled ships to sail thousands of miles and put increasing strain on vessels and equipment that are already facing mounting maintenance issues.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Agnes shielded her eyes and laughed at the obscene majesty of it all.—
Boris Fishman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The Offensive Rookie of the Year wide receiver laughed, but the competitive fire had been lit.—
Devon Henderson,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
By 2018, Guojun had registered several companies in California and dissolved, renamed, or divested from many of his Chinese firms.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Another method for cleaning silver involves filling an aluminum pan with hot water, salt, and baking soda, stirring until dissolved, and then soaking the pieces until a chemical reaction occurs that removes the tarnish.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broke up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20up. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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