breakup

[breyk-uhp]

noun

1. disintegration; disruption; dispersal.

2. the ending of a personal, especially a romantic, relationship.

3. (in Alaska and Canada)

   1. the melting and loosening of ice in rivers and harbors during the early spring.

   2. the first day on which such ice is soft or dispersed enough to permit ships to use the waterways.

4. Informal.,  an act or instance of being convulsed with laughter.

5. temporary distortion in a televised picture.

Word History and Origins

Origin of breakup¹

First recorded in 1785–95; noun use of verb phrase break up

Example Sentences

Listening to that long, repetitive breakup story is a skill that also requires honed patience.

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Along with the professional frustrations came “a nuclear explosion of a breakup” with a fellow songwriter, Teddy Geiger.

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The first album is very nostalgic, vulnerable, personal, and overall a breakup album; that’s it.

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I was also dying to see how and if Kacie and Patrick — mostly Patrick — would get some resolution after their breakup.

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Ellison’s bidding was designed to thwart Warner’s planned corporate breakup.

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Related Words

• breakdown 
• disintegration 
• dissolution 
• divorce 
• separation 
• split 
• termination