break up

British  

verb

1. to separate or cause to separate

2. to put an end to (a relationship) or (of a relationship) to come to an end

3. to dissolve or cause to dissolve; disrupt or be disrupted

   the meeting broke up at noon

4. (intr) (of a school) to close for the holidays

5. (intr) (of a person making a telephone call) to be inaudible at times, owing to variations in the signal

   you're breaking up

6. informal to lose or cause to lose control of the emotions

   the news of his death broke her up

7. slang to be or cause to be overcome with laughter

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noun

1. a separation or disintegration

2. 1. in the Canadian north, the breaking up of the ice on a body of water that marks the beginning of spring

   2. this season

break up Idioms  

1. Divide into many pieces; disintegrate. For example, Now break up the head of garlic into separate cloves . [Mid-1700s]

2. Interrupt the continuity of something, as in A short walk will break up the long morning .

3. Also, break it up . Scatter, disperse, as in The crowd broke up as soon as they reached the streets . [Late 1400s] This phrase is also used as an imperative, as in “Break it up!” shouted the police officer . [c. 1930]

4. Bring or come to an end, as in His gambling was bound to break up their marriage .

5. Also, break someone up . Burst into or cause one to burst into an expression of feeling, such as laughter or tears. For example, His jokes always break me up , or That touching eulogy broke us all up , or I looked at her and just broke up . The precise meaning depends on the context. This sense grew out of a usage from the early 1800s that meant “upset” or “disturb.” [ Colloquial ; early 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

break up

Powerful winds break up the ice cover, causing individual floes to move, drift, and collide with one another.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

The solution to all this isn’t to break up the companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

When I think of my creative direct report, I think of those articles about men in relationships who aren’t bad enough to break up with.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

Blown away in a 26-minute opening set, fourth seed Gauff was twice pegged back from a break up in a scrappy second set before coming through a 16-point tie-break to force a decider.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

“You know, I kept wanting to imagine there was something going on with him and Taylor, because then there would have been a reason to break up with him.”

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

Related Words

• adjourn
• disband
• dismantle
• disperse
• disrupt
• dissolve
• divide
• halt
• put an end to
• separate
• split
• stop
• suspend
• terminate