breakup

1 of 2

noun

break·​up ˈbrāk-ˌəp How to pronounce breakup (audio)
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

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 project, the superstar’s most personal album yet, takes her on a healing journey following a very public breakup. Griselda Flores, Billboard, 23 Mar. 2024 The title track to For Your Consideration is about a breakup. Beverly Bryan, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2024 The Justice Department has the right under the law to ask for structural changes to Apple’s business — including a breakup, said an agency official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Tripp Mickle, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Jennifer Ruiz never anticipated that her birthday trip to the Mediterranean with her partner would end in a breakup. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024 After bad days or breakups with his girlfriends, Cavallaro went home to be with Albert. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 Those relationships can be frustrating, and as emotionally taxing as a breakup. Ilana Kaplan, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 Jimmy and Chelsea Jimmy and Chelsea did get back together after their finale breakup. Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024 His relationship with the Argentine singer Nicki Nicole ends publicly (After the breakup, Peso declined to comment on the relationship). Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024
Verb
Johnson broke up this fiscal year's spending bills into two parts as House Republicans revolted against what has become an annual practice of asking them to vote for one massive, complex bill called an omnibus with little time to review it or face a shutdown. Democrat-Gazette Staff and Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 23 Mar. 2024 That band, however, broke up in 1987, and Staley briefly fronted a funk band called the Black Holes. Spin Contributor, SPIN, 22 Mar. 2024 The former couple broke up weeks after reconciling. Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024 If Ellison and his partners take the whole package, the messiness of breaking up the mountain goes away. Jennifer Maas, Variety, 22 Mar. 2024 The law was aimed at breaking up the monopoly system that allowed a private nonprofit --- the United Network for Organ Sharing -- to be the sole contractor managing the country's Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) for over 40 years. Laura Romero, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2024 Cloud brightening could break up clouds or change local weather and rainfall patterns, which is also a major concern with cloud seeding. Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024 As a protective measure, companies break up production stages, or duplicate them, and put them in different locations. David L. Stern, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 But the real story involves a flashback that explains why Ted and Robin broke up. Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'breakup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of breakup was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near breakup

Cite this Entry

“Breakup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakup. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

breakup

1 of 2 noun
break·​up ˈbrā-ˌkəp How to pronounce breakup (audio)
: 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

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