bust-up

7.1

A serious argument that ends a friendship or other relationship

noun
/ˈbʌst ʌp/

: pelea

The bust-up between the two colleagues resulted in a tense atmosphere at work.
a big bust-up

But yeah, I mean, before that, I'd a bust up with Ronnie and I'll come in, I'll come out at Broadmoor.

Examples

Every divorce, every family bust up, every business or workplace dismantling.
Every divorce, every family bust up, every business or workplace dismantling.
So after the bust-up, the angry words, and the threats of legal action, he'd started up on his own.

Fiction book (1996)
But yeah, I mean, before that, I'd a bust up with Ronnie and I'll come in, I'll come out at Broadmoor.

Terry Stone Connection
After the serious bust-up, they decided to end their friendship for good.
Following a major bust-up, he moved out of their shared apartment.

Synonyms

break

vsbust-up

89 3.4

An ending of a relationship or cooperation after disagreement

is the quarrel that causes the ending rather than the ending alone

blowup

vsbust-up

Informal

7 6.1

A sudden angry outburst showing strong emotion

is a serious argument that ends relationships rather than a single outburst

rupture

vsbust-up

6 7.1

A serious break between people or groups that causes a lack of trust

is the argument that leads to separation rather than the separation itself

dustup

vsbust-up

Informal

5 7.2

A short angry argument between people that is not very serious

is a more serious quarrel that often ends friendships rather than being brief

burst-up

vsbust-up

7.7

A sudden strong argument that ends a relationship or situation

is a serious argument that ends relationships rather than only sudden outbursts

Antonyms

harmony

146 2.5

Agreement and peaceful working together between people or ideas

reconciliation

114 5.3

A return to friendly relations after a disagreement

How Serious

breakup

107 3.4

bust-up

7.1

argument

617 2.3

disagreement

268 1.6

Surface Forms

bust-up singular

bust-ups plural

Morphology

bust-up = bust (semi-transparent) = up + bust

The word is built on the familiar idea of 'bust up' meaning 'break apart', but the specific noun sense 'a serious quarrel' is somewhat lexicalized. [Postprocessing: moved 'up' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Bust-up joins bust (to 'break') and up (which makes the action stronger). It gives the clear image of something 'breaking up', so a bust-up is a sudden, serious argument that can end a relationship or friendship.