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
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2
as in stopped
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 divided
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 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
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5
as in ceased
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 disrupted
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 laughed
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 broke up
Antoine was called for a pass interference during Mississippi’s late TD drive but also broke up a pass that could have been a first down.
—
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
In 2024, officials broke up a multistate trafficking operation based on the Crow reservation that distributed drugs to other Montana reservations.
—Katheryn Houghton, NPR, 8 Jan. 2026
Kelce and Nicole, 34, broke up multiple times throughout their five years together, and made several public comments and back-and-forths about each other on social media and in interviews over the years.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
The White Stripes broke up almost 15 years ago, but discussions of Meg’s drumming are still taking place.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2025
Drop Nineteens broke up in 1995 and reunited in 2022.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2025
Following the eventful first season, in which Joanne (Bell) and Noah (Brody) met, fell in love and briefly broke up before reuniting, Season 2 followed the natural course of a relationship by largely chronicling the duo’s efforts to blend their lives together.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
Perry recently broke up with her longterm boyfriend Orlando Bloom while Bezos and Sánchez had their wedding.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 4 Nov. 2025
Which couples broke up in 'Love Is Blind' season 9?
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke up
Verb
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After releasing five albums with the Richard Smallwood Singers, Smallwood disbanded the act in the early 1990s and went on to form a large backing choir known as Vision.—
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Smallwood disbanded the Smallwood Singers in the early 1990s and formed the backing choir Vision, which accompanied him on numerous albums through 2015.—
Verb
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Ross, who was one of several federal agents involved in the arrest, initially drew his service weapon, but holstered the gun after Muñoz-Guatemala stopped his car and raised his hands, according to the affidavit.—
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Braddy stopped the car, got Quantisha back inside, and put Shandelle in the trunk, before driving for 30 to 45 minutes.—
Verb
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Iran’s opposition is weak, divided, largely in exile.—
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But our fragmented media landscape and the dominance of social media have left us polarized and divided.—
Verb
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Last year, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chairman John Sykes cracked open the door to dispel a bit of mystique that surrounds his nominating committee.—
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To this day, no townhouse has cracked $90 million — hedge-funder Philip Falcone’s doublewide townhouse on East 65th Street, set the townhouse record in 2019 at nearly $80 million, which has yet to be surpassed.—
Verb
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In other words, the property tax wars may have ceased, but the dust still hasn’t settled.—
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The primary means of transportation in Caracas, the metro, was out of service after the attack, while buses also ceased operation, El Spectator reported.—
Verb
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The Lakers disrupted alley-oop attempts to Castle and Luke Kornet in the opening minutes.—
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During a three-game losing streak that began with a loss to Arkansas State, Arkansas has been turnover prone and seen its dribble-drive offense disrupted.—
Verb
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Three-year-old twins Jenny and Rose laughed their way through a book about a dog that plays basketball.—
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Dubner anxiously laughed for what felt like a full minute after that bombshell of a Q.—
Verb
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The crackdown has accelerated since Kuwait’s emir dissolved the country’s parliament in May 2024 and embarked on a regulatory overhaul.—
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And the good vibes of those wins quickly dissolved with Toronto smacking them around in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss.—
Cite this Entry
“Broke up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20up. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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