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 ended
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 separated
to set or force apart
he broke up the rocks in the old stone wall with a crowbar, sending them tumbling to the ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in stopped
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
police arrived at the scene and immediately broke up the fracas
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in broken
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
break up the feta cheese and spread it over the salad
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in giggled
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
as in divided
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of broken up
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 10 Sep. 2025
However, in May 2025, fans speculated Lee and Furlan may have broken up after Falling in Reverse frontman Ronnie Radke claimed on Instagram and TikTok that the actress and comedian was catfished by someone posing as him.
—Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Children and teens may receive multiple vaccines before adulthood; these are often broken up into multiple doses.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2025
Magbanua testified that after the undercover agent approached Donna, Charles called her frantically about the situation even though they’d been long broken up.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
Make sure that any hard areas have been broken up to allow the roots to settle in and spread.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2025
The Glass Fire’s burn scar has broken up what would have been continuous fuel beds in some areas, according to Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit spokesperson Jason Clay.
—The Press Democrat, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2025
Due to the technical limitations of the time, MGS3 and its predecessors built sprawling worlds that can often be retraced but are broken up at every turn.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
However, the relationship was short-lived as Us Weekly reported in 2016 that the two had broken up.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The couple apparently has now broken up for good.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 10 Sep. 2025
However, in May 2025, fans speculated Lee and Furlan may have broken up after Falling in Reverse frontman Ronnie Radke claimed on Instagram and TikTok that the actress and comedian was catfished by someone posing as him.
—Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Children and teens may receive multiple vaccines before adulthood; these are often broken up into multiple doses.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2025
Magbanua testified that after the undercover agent approached Donna, Charles called her frantically about the situation even though they’d been long broken up.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
Make sure that any hard areas have been broken up to allow the roots to settle in and spread.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2025
The Glass Fire’s burn scar has broken up what would have been continuous fuel beds in some areas, according to Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit spokesperson Jason Clay.
—The Press Democrat, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2025
Due to the technical limitations of the time, MGS3 and its predecessors built sprawling worlds that can often be retraced but are broken up at every turn.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
However, the relationship was short-lived as Us Weekly reported in 2016 that the two had broken up.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken up
Verb
-
Despite being signed to the culture-changing label Sub Pop for four albums in the 2000s, Fruit Bats never achieved the same level of acclaim as many of their labelmates, like the Shins and Sleater Kinney, and Johnson disbanded the collective at the end of its 2013 tour.—
Daniel Kohn,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The structure is the band reunion and countdown to a final concert by Spinal Tap, who we are told disbanded 15 years ago.—
Mark Kennedy,
Boston Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Once the inning ended a few minutes later, New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza met Manaea in the dugout and led him down the tunnel.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Hearing for ethics complaint investigation findings delayed The Wausau Ethics Board ended its own investigation into the incident in July.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
An explosion separated the Bell’s tail boom, main rotor, mast and transmission and sent the fuselage crashing into the ground.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
-
As before, the Humane Editor uses a large central workspace subdivided into individual documents, here separated by backtick characters.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And some people are just a little cracked and would rather live their life at night.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Beesley was in the middle of the crowd, around 10 yards away from Kirk, when the sound of the rifle round cracked in the air.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That alone is amazing, said Timbrook, Depue and a representative for the soft body armor vest that stopped a bullet from piercing the officer’s chest.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Clearly, when the justice reform was stopped was one point in time, in [20]21.—
Leila Fadel,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
From records possibly being broken by The Studio and Severance to Kathy Bates potentially becoming the oldest recipient of an acting trophy in a drama category for Matlock, this year has a lot of exciting moments to look forward to.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
But doing more won’t fix what’s broken.—
Essence,
Essence,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some of the guys smiled and giggled throughout her introduction, which stoked plenty of ire from viewers online.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Two teen-age girls, joining a crowd trailing him, giggled and teared up.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The civilian board that monitors the Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will see its oversight authority expanded to include health care workers in cases of in-custody deaths, following a divided vote Tuesday by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The gamble backfired and his centrist bloc lost seats to the far right and far left, leaving France with a divided National Assembly and effectively ungovernable.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20up. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share