1
as in to disband
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 to stop
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 to divide
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 to crack
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 to cease
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 to disrupt
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 to laugh
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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as in split
the act or process of a whole separating into two or more parts or pieces
the breakup of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism pretty much signaled the end of the Cold War
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break up
Federico Fahsbender, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2025
Nash said the election broke up the DFL hold on the Legislature, and GOP lawmakers are taking that as a cue to reassess changes implemented over the last two years.
—Dana Ferguson, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2025
Janey Tracey, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2025
Desiree, played by Laverne Cox, has returned home to Mobile, Alabama, after a bad breakup, hoping to reunite with her estranged father, Harry (George Wallace).
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Verb
The hotel’s halls are dark and dimly lit — black walls broken up by black doors, room numbers embossed in gold.
—Noun
The only film on this list that takes place on Valentine’s Day, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind follows Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet), two former lovers who undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories after a painful breakup.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up
Verb
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Disband the committee altogether Could the administration disband the committee?—
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Destiny’s Child may have disbanded in 2006, but the members are always just one text away.—
Verb
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Outside of suicide, the only way for a terminally ill person in Ohio to hasten their own death is to refuse life-prolonging treatments or to stop eating and drinking.—
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However, Eke said, if Charlotte doesn’t succeed, the Berman family behind the bid won’t stop trying.—
Verb
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Putin sees it as a way to divide the West, analysts say.—
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President Trump and billionaire sidekick Elon Musk Tuesday accused the liberal media of trying to divide them to thwart their shared political agenda.—
Verb
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The 26-year-old winger is on pace to crack 90 points, and the pop in his production can be explained by a few factors.—
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If not, there will be another opportunity to crack a new puzzle on Tuesday.—
Verb
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The turmoil that enveloped the federal workforce over the last few days is unlikely to cease anytime soon as the U.S. government’s human resources agency considers how to fulfill Elon Musk ’s demands.—
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The news many in the film sector feared over the weekend is coming to pass as Technicolor has made the majority of its UK workforce redundant and the majority of its activities have ceased.—
Verb
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Then, in 2020, Covid restrictions disrupted her income flow and offended her sense of individual rights.—
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The pair meet after the guy picks up a prescription for an extremely gnarly black eye, setting off a whirlwind romance that’s inevitably disrupted by — what else? — a grumpy parent.—
Verb
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Mothers run after their children; one of them is developmentally disabled, but in a rural Chinese village circa 1991 he is treated as a laughing stock.—
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Musk posted that portion of the remarks and responded with two laughing emojis.—
Noun
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Those have been volatile as of late, with odds of one or two quarter-point cuts coming this year evenly split, according to CME Group FedWatch data .—
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In contentious splits, the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.—
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Cite this Entry
“Break up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20up. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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