1
as in disbands
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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2
as in stops
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 divides
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 cracks
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 ceases
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 disrupts
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 laughs
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of breaks up
While Sam begins hallucinating people as puppets, Justin breaks up with him.
—
Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Belly, devastated by the betrayal, slaps Jeremiah and breaks up with him.
—Alexandra Hurtado, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Needless to say, Bobby breaks up with her later.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Belly, devastated by the betrayal, slaps Jeremiah and breaks up with him.
—Alexandra Hurtado, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Needless to say, Bobby breaks up with her later.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks up
Verb
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And once the dog is found, the Search Party network disbands.—
Mike Feibus,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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DiCaprio plays Bob, a revolutionary in hiding with his teen daughter (Chase Infiniti) after his activist group the French 75 disbands in chaos.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The first death happens when the heart stops beating and the brain stops working.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
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The film has played HorrorHound, Cinema Scares and Bloody Mirror, with more festival stops on deck.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Her comprehensive program divides vocal training into 10 strategic sections covering everything from vibrato and power to breathing boot camp and vocal registers.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
22 Oct. 2025
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Unfortunately for all, the lack of any unifying figure within the ODM could simply fragment Odinga’s base as a bitter leadership fight within the party divides it into factions.—
Ian Bremmer,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Phillies avoid Shohei Ohtani, but Jhoan Duran cracks Jhoan Duran faced 81 batters after a summer trade brought him to the Phillies.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Apple will be there waiting, sitting on a mountain of cash, ready to partner with (or outright acquire) whichever operation cracks the code.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In a filing on Friday, the nearly-defunct federal body sought summary judgment in NPR’s lawsuit against the organization over its decision to appropriate funding for satellite distribution to a select group of NPR member stations before the CPB ceases operations.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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The motor disengages or ceases to function when the brakes are applied or the throttle is released.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Cutting down trees disrupts the cycle, reducing rainfall and leading to drought.—
NPR,
NPR,
24 Oct. 2025
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Sleep deprivation also disrupts mood regulation, often leading to anxiety, irritability or depression.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The average kid laughs 300 times a day and average adult, only 17.—
Bill Hoogterp,
Fortune,
19 Oct. 2025
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The man behind the camera laughs at the absurdity of the scene before continuing to tell the man to leave.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Heat on medium, stirring regularly until honey dissolves.—
Kirby Adams,
Louisville Courier Journal,
20 Oct. 2025
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This reagent, when activated by saltwater, effectively dissolves gold.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaks up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20up. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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