broken up 1 of 2

broken up

2 of 2

verb

past participle of break up
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
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
6
7

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
Verb
Rather, how that time is accumulated, and whether it's broken up with physical activity, also have a notable impact. Adam England, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026 Gonzalez, a 39-year-old single mother raising a daughter, had just broken up with her boyfriend and couldn’t afford the rent on her studio apartment by herself. Kayla Levy, Curbed, 25 June 2026 Instead, the championship is getting broken up into two series of competitions that will be hosted at a rotation of various courses. Monique John, CBS News, 25 June 2026 Topography and shifting climates had broken up these populations into different habitats, allowing each to evolve into distinct species. Torben Rick, The Conversation, 18 June 2026 While some fans question whether Percy truly cheated on Sam if they were broken up, others have charged that neither Percy nor Charlie is redeemable as a character. Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026 Officials in Germany have also broken up plots targeting the head of a German weapons supplier to Ukraine and a Ukrainian military official. Vanessa Gera, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026 His perfect parade was broken up by an error in the fourth inning when miscommunication between Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker led to Trea Turner’s fly ball glancing off Tucker’s glove and dropping to the warning track uncaught. Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 30 May 2026 After beginning their relationship in late 2013, Courteney Cox and her partner of over a decade, Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid, have broken up, according to multiple outlets. Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 28 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken up
Adjective
  • Americans are deeply divided and intensely polarized, with pessimism at or near a multidecade high.
    Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026
  • In a world increasingly more divided than connected — where politics, algorithms and social media feuds sort us into tribes siloed by grievances — the World Cup still accomplishes something remarkably simple.
    Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • After the Ballet Russe disbanded, Monson de Kansky toured with the Marquis de Cuevas ballet company for nine years.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
  • The same was true of John Ferreira, the incredibly hard-working FBI special agent who kept the investigation going years after the ELF had disbanded.
    Greg Hanlon, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • But the rally ended when Hernández’s liner up the middle landed in the glove of Rockies right-hander Jimmy Herget, who just entered the game, catching Kyle Tucker off first base for a double play.
    Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • The decision was never formally confirmed in a plenary session before the conference ended.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • Faster clinical brain imaging The new design removes one of the biggest bottlenecks in conventional computer architecture, where memory and processors are physically separated.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026
  • Instead, Hargitay learned at age 30 that her bio-dad was Italian entertainer Nelson Sardelli — Giovanna Sardelli’s father — with whom Mansfield had a brief relationship while separated from Mickey Hargitay in the early 1960s.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • As the Yankees prepared to play on the United States’ 250th birthday, Ben Rice cracked a joke.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026
  • The prospect of holding dry, cracked hands after dinner might persuade him that moisturizing under the table is the lesser offense.
    Judith Martin, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
Verb
  • To the moon All the political developments of the last 24 hours have not stopped stocks, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting 53,000 for the first time ever.
    Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 7 July 2026
  • Not even the relentless defense chants summoned from the Sparks’ MCs stopped her.
    Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Verb
  • The dangerous temperatures have already disrupted several events scheduled for Friday.
    Erin McGarry, NBC news, 3 July 2026
  • The overlap of two warming patterns — one regional and one climate-scale — could compound stress on marine food webs that have already been repeatedly disrupted over the past decade.
    Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Willis sang as their children—14-year-old Mabel Ray and 12-year-old Evelyn Penn—giggled in the background.
    Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 18 June 2026
  • The couple giggled between kisses and lounged on a red-and-white picnic blanket while overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
    Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Broken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20up. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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