to break up
678
2.6
- phrasal verb
- /breɪk ʌp/
- Informal
:
romper con
- She broke up with the assistant with whom she was having an affair.
- break up a relationship
- break up with his wife
So her and my dad broke up when I was very young.
- So her and my dad broke up when I was very young.
- OK, I think we are going to break up this very weekend.
- It was when Grace breaks up with you, it is cut throat.
- Is that moment in a movie when the lovers break up, when all seems lost?
- Most relationships don't break up because of one incident.
- And I remember when my first marriage broke up and I was changing career.
- They completely forget all the reasons they wanted to break up in the first place.
- Kylie, how would you feel if you and Anna broke up and about Judy's well-being?
- You know, it could break up your, break up your marriage.
- I know even like before we broke up, they're like, she doesn't post it.
- With the courage you need to break up, leave.
- And, you know, they broke up, she survived her cancer.
Examples
-
They argued and broke up.
-
Well, I came to Europe to sing with my band, but we broke up in Rome before we ever even booked a show.
-
OK, I think we are going to break up this very weekend.
-
Why did you guys break up?
-
When Lane asked me what was wrong, I said: "I just broke up with my boyfriend."
Fiction book (1991) -
Why'd you guys break up three weeks ago today?
-
When people break up, there's the thing that they tell each other.
-
I have strong feelings for Owen, but I can't date him, because if we break up, there will be tension between us.
-
Moraine wanted to break up with Favio the night their windows were shot out.
Fiction book (1992) -
I never expected them to break up after so many years together.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To go away from a place, person, or group
∞
1.0
To stop an activity or end a habit
575
2.3
End a relationship or go separate ways
501
5.1
To end a romantic relationship suddenly and without care
481
2.9
To move apart or stop being together
458
4.6
To end a relationship or connection with someone
417
3.4
To end a romantic relationship with someone
241
2.9
To separate and move in different directions after being together
137
2.7
To end a close relationship and go separate ways
67
5.8
To end a relationship or connection completely by stopping all contact
60
4.1
To officially end an organization, agreement, or relationship
50
3.2
To stop something suddenly before it is finished, for example a talk or relationship
23
3.9
To stop being together or working with someone and go in different directions
23
4.1
End a relationship with someone or something in a clear, final way
12
9.4
Suddenly stop seeing or talking to someone
8
3.9
Stop being together and take different paths in life
5
6.6
To stop depending on someone or something and become independent
To end a relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend
End someone's job or relationship suddenly and without warning
To suddenly end someone's job or a relationship, often without warning
Antonyms
How Permanent
963
2.9
481
2.9
- Informal
678
2.6
23
3.9
496
1.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
break + up
The meaning 'to interrupt or bring a pause' is directly derivable from combining 'break' (to stop or interrupt) with the particle 'up', which commonly adds a sense of separation/completion; this verb+particle composition follows a standard and predictable English pattern. Even though 'up' lacks a dictionary entry here, its usual contribution to meaning makes the expression readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituents.
Etymology
Break up paints a simple picture: break (to snap apart) and up (completely), like a rope between two people being cut. So the phrase means 'to end a relationship'.