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
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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
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
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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
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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
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of broken up
Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
The pastel hues are broken up at the bottom of this pair with burgundy rubber below the shoe’s signature Abzorb SBS cushioning pods.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
The administration, however, views public schools as a monopoly that should be broken up.
—Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
Citizens broke ground on the DigIndy project in 2013 and started with mining the tunnel system, which was broken up into different sections.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025
The first two were successfully broken up by park security.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
After sampling, genetic material—the creature’s DNA—is collected from cells and then broken up into fragments that are short enough to be read by the sequencing machines.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
Lyrics from the project prompted concerns that the band, which also includes Taylor York and Zac Farro, had broken up.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Different from other Charlotte's Web adaptations being feature-length films, this special being broken up into three parts (each about 43 minutes long) helps the story feel both bigger and more manageable for families who want to take it in at their own pace.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The stark black silhouette is broken up by an oak handle to add some visual interest.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
The pastel hues are broken up at the bottom of this pair with burgundy rubber below the shoe’s signature Abzorb SBS cushioning pods.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
The administration, however, views public schools as a monopoly that should be broken up.
—Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
Citizens broke ground on the DigIndy project in 2013 and started with mining the tunnel system, which was broken up into different sections.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025
The first two were successfully broken up by park security.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
After sampling, genetic material—the creature’s DNA—is collected from cells and then broken up into fragments that are short enough to be read by the sequencing machines.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
Lyrics from the project prompted concerns that the band, which also includes Taylor York and Zac Farro, had broken up.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Different from other Charlotte's Web adaptations being feature-length films, this special being broken up into three parts (each about 43 minutes long) helps the story feel both bigger and more manageable for families who want to take it in at their own pace.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken up
Verb
-
The program was disbanded this fall.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
24 Oct. 2025
-
At the end of those 103 shows, the group essentially disbanded, Beckham said.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Portland, meanwhile, overcame slipping into the wild-card round with a heavy defeat in the regular-season finale and bounced back with a 3-1 win of its own that ended Real Salt Lake’s season.—
Avi Creditor,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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Its protagonist—unnamed, like those in Pond and Checkout 19—is a writer who has recently ended a doomed affair with an older man, Xavier.—
Rhian Sasseen,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Raw animal foods not separated by type based on minimum cook temperatures (raw chicken stored above raw eggs in walk-in cooler).—
Gege Reed,
Louisville Courier Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Allen and Harbour, 50, were married for four years, and separated in 2024.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Their new trend report breaks down destinations gaining the most buzz – and a few American getaways cracked the list of international gems.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
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Through it all, the banking world is still painting a picture of an economy that hasn’t cracked yet.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As part of that process, Netflix stopped disclosing its subscribers at the end of last year.—
Fortune Editors,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Weekly updates from the more specific FluView have stopped, as have summary reports from RESP-NET that tracks hospitalizations for Covid-19, flu and RSV from a network of hospitals across the country.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This past Sunday, the Israeli military alleged that Hamas had broken the ceasefire by killing two Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza.—
Mosab Abu Toha,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
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The truck driver told police that his dash camera did not work and had been broken for over a month, according to the family.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The carousel kicked off with a photo of the pair sitting at a table as Gomez giggled at the camera.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
And the tow truck went flying through the air as both boys giggled.—
Brad Schmitt,
Nashville Tennessean,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was still a pariah state, recognized only by Turkey; Nicosia was still Europe’s last divided capital.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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But Burns also doesn’t take the conventional wisdom that the America of today is more divided than at any other point since the Revolution.—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20up. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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