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 of breakup

Noun

• split
• dissolution
• partition
• division
• separation

Verb

• disband
• 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

Post-Love Island USA, Terry and Tshnieder have actually been thriving, leaning into their messy onscreen breakup by collaborating on a humorous photoshoot that featured Terry throwing coffee in his face. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026

The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, who is now six years removed from the split and is currently engaged to Dancing With the Stars pro Sharna Burgess, recently opened up about how the breakup with Fox changed his approach to forging romantic connections. — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 13 July 2026

Verb

Sadly, the couple broke up in 2021 amid stresses during the COVID-19 pandemic, TMZ reported. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026

In an industry where even the most seemingly solid groups and duos break up (eh hem, The Neptunes…), producers feud, and creative partnerships often collapse under ego, Jam and Lewis have never publicly imploded. — Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing breakup

• breakup value

Rhymes for breakup

• backup
• blowup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup
• pickup

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