breakup

1 of 2

noun

break·​up ˈbrāk-ˌəp 

1

: an act or instance of breaking up

2

: the breaking, melting, and loosening of ice in the spring

break up

2 of 2

verb

broke up; broken up; breaking up; breaks up

intransitive verb

1

a

: to cease to exist as a unified whole : disperse

their partnership broke up

b

: to end a romance

2

: to lose morale, composure, or resolution

especially : to become abandoned to laughter

breaks up completely, laughing himself into a coughing fit

—Gene Williams

transitive verb

1

: to break into pieces

2

: to bring to an end

broke up the fight

3

: to do away with : destroy

break up a monopoly

4

: to disrupt the continuity or flow of

break up a dull routine

5

: decompose

break up a chemical

6

: to cause to laugh heartily

Synonyms

Noun

• bifurcation
• cleavage
• dissolution
• disunion
• division
• fractionalization
• fractionation
• partition
• schism
• scission
• separation
• split
• sundering

Verb

• disband
• disperse
• dissolve

Examples of breakup in a Sentence

Noun

Money problems often lead to marital breakups.

She's just gone through a bad breakup with her boyfriend.

He began drinking heavily following the breakup of his marriage.

a couple heading for marital breakup

What caused the breakup of the Roman Empire?

the breakup of a monopoly

the breakup of an asteroid as it hits the Earth's atmosphere

Verb

the band broke up when their arguments over money grew too stressful

the meeting broke up when all the business for the day had been completed

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The country's space program survived the breakup of the Soviet Union a quarter of a century ago by partnering with the West. —Ars Technica, 12 Feb. 2025

The bride also claimed that her stepsister tried to get involved with her ex-boyfriend after their breakup in 2020. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025

Verb

Teen romances Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2022) Before heading off to college, high school seniors Clara (Talia Ryder) and Aidan (Jordan Fisher) make a pact to amicably break up. —Shannon Carlin, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025

There is an option to break up the Documentary shorts into two parts. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Phrases Containing breakup

• breakup value

Kids Definition

breakup

1 of 2 noun

break·​up ˈbrā-ˌkəp 

: an act or an instance of breaking up

break up

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)brā-ˈkəp

1

: to separate into parts

enzymes help break up protein molecules

2

: to bring or come to an end

the police broke up the demonstration

the party began to break up

3

: to end a romance

they dated for a while but broke up

4

: to go or cause to go into a fit of laughter

that joke always breaks me up