to split up
137
2.7
- phrasal verb
- /splɪt ʌp/
- Informal
:
separarse
- And then when they split up, we ended up moving to Camberley.
I guess my parents split up when I was quite young.
- I guess my parents split up when I was quite young.
- And then when they split up, we ended up moving to Camberley.
- We can't afford to split up, we don't have the money.
- So most people will have subsequent, they will split up and have subsequent marriages as well.
- Then I had to go and do shoulder surgery and I'd split up with my daughter's mum.
- They, they, they got married, had me and my brother and they split up early in our like childhood.
- In fact, when these relationships become estranged or people split up, they get divorced.
- So OK, that's why we're splitting up is because I was playing winners and losers too hard.
- I said that to her when when we split up for the two year we've got a little boy, Henry.
- We've heard that yourself and Vanessa have split up.
- So a prenup is a way to say like, hey, if we split up, you're OK, you'll be OK.
- Dave had been going out with her mum and we'd split up.
- You'll remember where you were when Molly May and Tommy split up.
Examples
-
I guess my parents split up when I was quite young.
-
So then they split up and it was just me and my mom living in a one bedroom.
-
And yeah, they, they split up when I was about five years old.
-
Well, yes, we split up twice and when we split up I did go off, which he knows about.
-
When his parents split up, he continued access visits with his father.
Academic text (2018) -
Tomorrow we're gonna have to split up, go in separate directions, try to get out of here.
-
Ever since Walter and I split up, I guess I have been a little numb.
Fiction book (1997) -
When we split up, she dyed her hair platinum blonde and bought a new car.
Academic text (2004) -
It starts with, OK, once you get over the we're splitting up, then they go through this phase of let's be civil about it.
-
I just split up with my girlfriend and need some time alone.
Synonyms
678
2.6
End a relationship with someone, for example a romantic or business partner
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
417
3.4
To end a romantic relationship with someone
241
2.9
To separate and move in different directions after being together
60
4.1
To officially end an organization, agreement, or relationship
59
4.6
To separate yourself completely from someone or something
43
4.3
To stop being a group, for example a band or committee
30
4.1
To leave an organization and form a separate group
26
3.0
To separate into pieces, for example a machine or a group
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
11
6.2
To leave a group and form a smaller, separate one often after disagreement
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 separate part of a company to make it an independent business
Antonyms
How Permanent
Surface Forms
Morphology
split + up
The verb 'split' conveys division and the particle 'up' commonly adds a sense of separation or increase, so a learner who knows both words could infer this is about dividing something into more parts (i.e. shares). However, the specific financial nuance that the total equity/value remains unchanged despite increasing the number of outstanding shares is technical and not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so the phrase is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Split up meaning to end a relationship comes from the picture of two people who were together suddenly moving apart. The pair 'split' into parts and go their own ways, so the phrase means 'to end a relationship'.