BREAK UP Synonyms: 314 Similar and Opposite Words

break up 1 of 2

verb

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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breakup

2 of 2

noun

ˈbrāk-ˌəp

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

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 break up

Verb

But Tommy's storyline took a turn, with the EMT breaking up with Trevor and currently battling cancer. —

Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 18 Jan. 2025 With a frigid polar vortex set to grip huge swaths of the U.S. in the coming days, the city could see anywhere between 3 and 5 inches of snow before the quick-moving but significant storm breaks up in the early hours of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. —

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2025

Noun

Their high-profile breakup does seem fairly amicable. —

Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025 The Bachelor star Matt James has announced his breakup with season 25 winner Rachael Kirkconnell. —

EW.com, 16 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for break up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up

Verb

After the Discovery acquisition was completed a year ago, that unit was disbanded and Ascheim exited the company.

— Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2025
Last year, the net zero alliance for insurers disbanded after losing about half its members, and Climate Action 100+, a group for investors, has suffered departures of prominent members.

— Eshe Nelson, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025