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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks up
Verb
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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.—
Verb
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To begin with, their source data on funding priorities stops at 2007, leaving a roughly 15-year gap where research funding can't be analyzed, but patents are still being filed.—
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There was an awkward pause before the couple did what everyone does when an escalator stops escalating.—
Verb
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That test soon divides matter, even for a far from sensitive ear, into what reads well & what reads tamely, haltingly, jerkily, lopsidedly, top-heavily, or otherwise badly.—
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And a road divides the two habitats.—
Verb
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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.—
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Every time Kreider cracks a joke, Yurov laughs hard.—
Verb
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Without any of the three, money once again ceases to circulate.—
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Some of the details may subtly shift between each retelling, but the story always remains the same and never ceases to grab attention.—
Verb
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Once Hughes plays the ball towards Lacroix, Mateta (red) disrupts City’s central zonal defender, Ruben Dias, and the rest of the Palace attackers diverge towards different zones inside the penalty area.—
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What Happens Next As AI disrupts the hiring process across different industries, Thompson anticipates more companies could pull back on hiring altogether.—
Verb
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Everything with the Kings or NHL is ‘Dadda, dadda,’ Andrews laughs.—
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When they’re done, a ride on the ferris wheel, laughs at the Irvine Improv, Dave & Buster’s or the challenge of The Escape Game is nearby.—
Verb
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At one point, Björk dissolves into a shower of tiny particles.—
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When heated slightly, this combo safely dissolves silver from old circuit boards, wires or keyboard connectors.—
Cite this Entry
“Breaks up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20up. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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