1
: an act or instance of breaking up
2
: the breaking, melting, and loosening of ice in the spring
broke up; broken up; breaking up; breaks up
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
Gene Williams Synonyms
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 WebBarry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2024
During his tenure, Barrett produced 208 tackles (12.5 for loss), 8.5 sacks, two interceptions, four pass breakups and four forced fumbles.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2024
Moretti totaled 65 tackles, two sacks and four pass breakups last season at Central Michigan.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2024
But for Adidas, the breakup with Ye and his sneaker brand was a public relations and financial disaster that left the company with 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) worth of unsold inventory in various stages of development.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024
The drug charges against former manager Doc McGhee, who conscripted the band to perform a benefit show in the Soviet Union to keep him out of jail, are also detailed, as is the excessive drinking of members that nearly led to a breakup.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2024
Clemson’s Nate Wiggins had nine pass breakups and two interceptions in 2023 and plays with elite speed.
—Adam Grosbard, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
In the weeks ahead of the album’s release, the singer offered further insight into the album, which fans have speculated would be about her breakup with ex-boyfriend actor Joe Alwyn.
—Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
The songs on the new album are actually the gathering storm clouds: All were written before the breakup.
—Nancy Kruh, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
EW.com, 29 Apr. 2024
Three marriages broke up, as runners spent a lot of time together.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 29 Apr. 2024
In coverage, Davis broke up four passes and became Miami’s most reliable coverage option in the secondary.
—David Wilson, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2024
Hundreds of protesters have been arrested over the last week, including dozens on Thursday when law enforcement in riot gear broke up a peaceful demonstration at the University of Ohio.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Chaos erupted overnight as police tried to break up a pro-Palestinian encampment at Emerson College in Boston, the latest flashpoint in a growing movement on college campuses around the country protesting Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
—CBS News, 25 Apr. 2024
The update comes after the office of the former royal family of Greece announced on April 19 that Princess Tatiana and Prince Nikolaos were breaking up.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
Rat ended up working three tours with Black Flag, which then broke up in 1986.
—Steve Appleford, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Jokic broke up a pick-and-roll and fed it ahead for a Gordon highlight.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2024
Noun
Johnson had 188 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 14 pass breakups and three interceptions in his college career, which started at Dartmouth.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2024
During his tenure, Barrett produced 208 tackles (12.5 for loss), 8.5 sacks, two interceptions, four pass breakups and four forced fumbles.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2024
Moretti totaled 65 tackles, two sacks and four pass breakups last season at Central Michigan.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2024
But for Adidas, the breakup with Ye and his sneaker brand was a public relations and financial disaster that left the company with 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) worth of unsold inventory in various stages of development.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024
The drug charges against former manager Doc McGhee, who conscripted the band to perform a benefit show in the Soviet Union to keep him out of jail, are also detailed, as is the excessive drinking of members that nearly led to a breakup.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2024
Clemson’s Nate Wiggins had nine pass breakups and two interceptions in 2023 and plays with elite speed.
—Adam Grosbard, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
In the weeks ahead of the album’s release, the singer offered further insight into the album, which fans have speculated would be about her breakup with ex-boyfriend actor Joe Alwyn.
—Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
The songs on the new album are actually the gathering storm clouds: All were written before the breakup.
—Nancy Kruh, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Verb
The fivesome broke up shortly after 2022's Celebrity but reunited for a single performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
—EW.com, 29 Apr. 2024
Three marriages broke up, as runners spent a lot of time together.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 29 Apr. 2024
In coverage, Davis broke up four passes and became Miami’s most reliable coverage option in the secondary.
—David Wilson, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2024
Hundreds of protesters have been arrested over the last week, including dozens on Thursday when law enforcement in riot gear broke up a peaceful demonstration at the University of Ohio.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Chaos erupted overnight as police tried to break up a pro-Palestinian encampment at Emerson College in Boston, the latest flashpoint in a growing movement on college campuses around the country protesting Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
—CBS News, 25 Apr. 2024
The update comes after the office of the former royal family of Greece announced on April 19 that Princess Tatiana and Prince Nikolaos were breaking up.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
Rat ended up working three tours with Black Flag, which then broke up in 1986.
—Steve Appleford, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Jokic broke up a pick-and-roll and fed it ahead for a Gordon highlight.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 21 Apr. 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Breakup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakup. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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