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 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
Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Williams had two pass breakups against capable receivers Tyler Lockett and Tre Tucker, a near-interception and a vicious sack on one of Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive back blitzes.
—Kansas City Star, 5 Jan. 2026
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
Mix with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until the ingredients are well combined and the bananas are broken up.
—Midwest Living, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakup
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Noun
Kody reflected on his own divorces in a confessional, and lamented how messy the breakups became.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Williams had two pass breakups against capable receivers Tyler Lockett and Tre Tucker, a near-interception and a vicious sack on one of Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive back blitzes.
—Kansas City Star, 5 Jan. 2026
Verb
Ohio State broke up the shutout with a strong drive to start the second half, going 82 yards down the field on 11 plays capped by a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Bo Jackson.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
Mix with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until the ingredients are well combined and the bananas are broken up.
—Midwest Living, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakup
Cite this Entry
“Breakup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakup. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
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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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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