break up

present singular third person breaks up · participle present breaking up · past broke up · participle past broken up · alternative break-up

1. transitiveTo break or separate into pieces.

   Break up the cheese and put it in the salad.

2. intransitiveTo break or separate into pieces; to disintegrate or come apart.

   It broke up when it hit the ground.

   2 more examples

   So, subject to the salvaging of serviceable parts, all five were withdrawn for breaking up in 1936-7, and thus ended one of the shortest histories of an important locomotive class on record.

   1949 May and June, R. A. H. Weight, “A Short-Lived Pacific Class”, in Railway Magazine, page 196

   It was recorded that 26 wagons were either destroyed or more or less broken up.

   2022 August 24, Bruce Healey, “Wartime tunnel crash: a miraculous escape”, in RAIL, number 964, page 53

3. transitiveTo upset greatly; to cause great emotional disturbance or unhappiness in.

   "I remember his wail at the meeting, which began: 'In fifty years experience of scientific intercourse----' It quite broke the old man up."

   1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC

4. idiomaticintransitiveTo end a (usually romantic or sexual) relationship.

   She broke up with her boyfriend last week.

5. intransitivereciprocalTo end a (usually romantic or sexual) relationship with each other.

   Jane and Stephen broke up.

6. idiomaticintransitiveTo dissolve; to part.

   The meeting finally broke up after a three-hour discussion.

   2 more examples

   At length, one night, when the company by ſome accident broke up much ſooner than ordinary, ſo that the candles were not half burnt out, ſhe was not able to reſiſt the temptation, but reſolved to have them ſome way or other. Accordingly, as ſoon as the hurry was over, and the ſervants, as ſhe thought, all gone to ſleep, ſhe ſtole out of her bed, and went down ſtairs, naked to her ſhift as ſhe was, with a deſign to ſteal them […]

   1762, Charles Johnstone, The Reverie; or, A Flight to the Paradise of Fools, volume 2, Dublin: Printed by Dillon Chamberlaine, →OCLC, page 202

   So the meeting broke up, and the torchlight grew dimmer, and died away as it had come in a red flicker on the roof, and the footsteps sounded fainter as they went up the passage, until the vault was left to the dead men and me.

   [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC

7. idiomaticintransitiveOf a school, to close for the holidays at the end of term.

   Once the schools break up for the holidays, children across the country are at a loose end and instances of kids doing stupid things on the railway become far too common.

   2021 August 25, Stefanie Foster, “Comment: A dumb way to die”, in RAIL, number 938, page 3

8. intransitivecommunicationsOf a conversation, to cease to be understandable because of a bad connection; of a signal, to deteriorate.

   You're breaking up. Can you repeat that? Well, it got cut off.

   1 more example

   what did you say? you're breaking up on me

   2009, Lady Gaga et al., “Telephone”

9. idiomatictransitiveTo stop a fight; to separate people who are fighting.

   The police came in to break up the disturbance.

10. figurativelyidiomaticintransitiveTo become disorganised.

    1 more example

    England's superior conditioning began to show in the final quarter and as the game began to break up, their three-quarters began to stamp their authority on the game. And when Foden went on a mazy run from inside his own 22 and put Ashton in for a long-range try, any threat of an upset was when and truly snuffed out.

    2011 September 18, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia”, in BBC Sport

11. transitiveTo cut or take to pieces for scrap.

    Ex-Brighton "I4" 4-4-2 tank No. 2034, the last of its class, and "02" 0-4-4 tank No. 214 have been broken up.

    1940 December, “Notes and News: Locomotive News”, in Railway Magazine, pages 667–668

    1 more example

    It may not be known generally that the tenders of the scrapped engines of this class were found to be in too good a condition to be broken up, and are now attached to Class "J15" 0-6-0 goods.

    1948 November and December, Reginald H. Coe, “The Holden 2-4-0 Locomotives of the L.N.E.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 366

12. idiomaticintransitiveslangtransitiveTo be or cause to be overcome with laughter.

plural break ups · alternative break-up

1. alternativeAlternative form of breakup.