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
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 Web
David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
An exclusive source confirmed to PEOPLE in October that the pair were still married, shutting down breakup rumors that swirled after Jennifer was seen without her wedding ring in a TikTok video.
—Athena Sobhan, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2024
Initial plans to break up the encampment near the dome came to light Monday.
—Owen Tripp, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for breakup 
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Noun
Rumors circulated for months that the couple were planning to split, with Newsweek previously detailing all the signs that were leading up to the breakup.
—Verb
The cabinets bring instant visual interest and are a clever way to break up a wall of solid cabinetry without losing storage space when used as an accent.
—Articles Related to breakup
Dictionary Entries Near breakup
Cite this Entry
“Breakup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakup. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
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
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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