as in divided
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Dissimilar Words
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
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
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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 stopped
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 disrupted
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of broken up
Abraham Jiménez Enoa, The Dial, 19 May 2026
Bands that had broken up have reformed, playing bigger venues than ever and creating some of the best music of their careers.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 15 May 2026
In a medium bowl, mash cream cheese with a fork until broken up.
—Midwest Living, 15 May 2026
Some at Intel still believe the company should be broken up, to split manufacturing and product design and accelerate progress.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
When the Canes’ forecheck attempts were broken up by Ottawa, Ehlers’ puck-moving and transition game came in clutch.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 1 May 2026
After McDavid appeared to get away with a penalty against Killorn, a shot-pass intended for the Oilers captain was broken up by Granlund.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
The soil must be broken up or aerated so moisture can penetrate the surface.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
It’s broken up into elements water, fire, earth and void.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
And so my surreal day-to-day, a regular life broken up by suspensions of my rights, stopped mattering.
—Abraham Jiménez Enoa, The Dial, 19 May 2026
Bands that had broken up have reformed, playing bigger venues than ever and creating some of the best music of their careers.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 15 May 2026
In a medium bowl, mash cream cheese with a fork until broken up.
—Midwest Living, 15 May 2026
Some at Intel still believe the company should be broken up, to split manufacturing and product design and accelerate progress.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
When the Canes’ forecheck attempts were broken up by Ottawa, Ehlers’ puck-moving and transition game came in clutch.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 1 May 2026
After McDavid appeared to get away with a penalty against Killorn, a shot-pass intended for the Oilers captain was broken up by Granlund.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
The soil must be broken up or aerated so moisture can penetrate the surface.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
It’s broken up into elements water, fire, earth and void.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken up
Adjective
-
The last five millennia have typically seen a great diversity of co-existing political forms—sometimes overlapping and symbiotic, sometimes divided and incommensurable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
The Mitsubishi then traveled across all lanes of Swope Parkway, a divided road, and hit two trees before coming to rest, according to the crash log.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The subject of the Wings documentary Man on the Run, McCartney debuted on SNL in 1980, a year before that group disbanded.—
William Vaillancourt,
Rolling Stone,
17 May 2026
-
Police officials said Tuesday that the anti-gang unit would be temporarily disbanded while the department reviews the matter.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Qassem could not accept that the search had ended.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
-
Johnson began this season with Trae Young as his point guard and ended it averaging more touches per game than any forward in the league.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
This is the most powerful story about two Korean sisters separated during Japanese occupation in WW2—Hana is taken to Japan and forced to become a comfort woman, meanwhile Emi left behind grows up and spends her life searching for her lost sister.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
The concept would involve buses traveling between 80 and 140 miles per hour in dedicated lanes separated from regular freeway traffic.—
Conor McGill,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Early in her time at the house, Djena fell in the kitchen and cracked a front tooth.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
What Foods Nesting Birds Need in Spring Black oil sunflower seed, safflower seed, cracked corn, and wild bird seed mixes are commonly placed in backyard bird feeders to feed birds in winter when other food sources are scarce.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Can the textpocalypse be stopped?—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Otherwise, the Canadiens were stopped on their first shot and scored on their next three in Game 6; the Sabres were stopped on their first shot and scored on three straight against Jakub Dobeš in Game 5.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The shopping area’s management said the takeovers disrupted operations and negatively impacted businesses.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
19 May 2026
-
Iranian drone attacks on data centers disrupted Amazon Web Services in the region and stuck Amazon with months of repairs while forcing another data center developer to pause Middle East projects.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
As Spade giggled in her first-class seat, Shuter asked what could possibly be so funny in the magazine.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
12 May 2026
-
Aaron Boone, meanwhile, giggled over the way Sterling reacted to getting hit by a foul ball in the booth in 2023.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20up. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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