break up
3 meanings
end a relationship
What does "break up" mean in this sense?
Examples
- She broke up with her boyfriend after two years together.
- Their marriage broke up in 2007 after years of difficulties.
- His parents tried to break them up, but they stayed together.
How to use it
This is the most important pattern — use it when one person ends a romantic relationship with another.
He broke up with his girlfriend just before the holiday.
Use this intransitive form when talking about a couple or group that ends together, without focusing on one person's action.
The band broke up after their lead singer left.
When a pronoun is the object, it must go between 'break' and 'up', not after.
Her friends tried to break them up, but it didn't work.
With a short noun object like 'the band' or 'the group', separation is possible but not required.
The argument broke the partnership up for good.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
Learners often say 'break up from someone', but the correct preposition in English is 'with'. Always use 'break up WITH someone'.
When you use a pronoun like 'them' or 'it' as the object, it must go between 'break' and 'up', never after 'up'.
The passive sounds unnatural with this sense. Instead, use the intransitive form ('the relationship broke up') or an active sentence.
Usage
The intransitive form is most common — 'they broke up' or 'she broke up with him' — and works in both British and American English. This is an everyday, neutral expression suitable for most informal and semi-formal situations.
separate something into smaller pieces or parts
Sense 2: What does "break sth up" mean?
Examples
- The Soviet Union broke up into fifteen independent states in 1991.
- The government decided to break up the tech giant to increase competition in the market.
- We should break the project up into smaller tasks so the team can manage it more easily.
How to use it
Use this pattern when someone or something actively divides an entity into smaller parts.
The regulator decided to break up the airline group to encourage more competition.
When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'break' and 'up' — never after 'up'.
The land was sold as one large plot, but the new owners decided to break it up.
Use 'into' to show what the entity is divided into, either with or without a direct object.
We can break the report up into three sections so it's easier to read.
When the subject itself divides without an external agent being mentioned, no object is needed.
The coalition broke up after the two parties disagreed on economic policy.
The passive is common in formal or journalistic writing when the focus is on what is being divided rather than who is doing it.
The state-owned enterprise was broken up and sold off in several stages.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
'Break up' means to divide something into separate parts, while 'break down' means to analyse or categorise something in detail. They are not interchangeable.
When the object is a pronoun like 'it' or 'them', it must come between 'break' and 'up', not after 'up'.
Very long noun phrases sound awkward in the middle of 'break ... up'. It is more natural to keep the full noun phrase after 'up'.
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral in register and works in both formal writing (journalism, politics, business) and everyday speech. It can be used with or without an object: 'The empire broke up' (intransitive) or 'They broke up the empire' (transitive).
become unclear or cut off so you can't hear properly (on a phone or radio)
Sense 3: What does "break up" mean?
Examples
- Sorry, you're breaking up — I can only hear every other word.
- The call kept breaking up every time she went near the tunnel.
- I think my signal is breaking up — let me move to a better spot.
How to use it
This is the most common pattern. The subject is the person on the other end of the call, or a word for the call or signal itself.
You're breaking up — can you move closer to the window?
Use 'keep breaking up' to describe a signal that loses quality repeatedly or continuously.
The Zoom call kept breaking up, so we switched to a phone call instead.
Use 'start breaking up' to describe the moment when the signal begins to deteriorate.
His voice started breaking up as soon as he got on the train.
Adding a time or place phrase explains why or when the signal problem happened.
The call broke up every time she walked through that part of the building.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
Because this phrasal verb is intransitive, you cannot use it in the passive. The signal or person 'breaks up' — nothing is done to them.
'Cut out' means the signal stops completely and suddenly, whereas 'break up' means the audio becomes fragmented and unclear but may continue. They describe different kinds of signal problems.
In this sense, 'break up' only describes signal or audio quality. The subject should be a person (referring to their audio) or a word like 'signal', 'call', or 'voice' — not a person ending a relationship or dividing something.
Usage
This phrase is almost always used in the present continuous ('you're breaking up') because it describes something happening right now during a call. It is neutral in register and equally common in British and American English.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use 'break up' for things other than romantic relationships?
Yes — 'break up' can describe bands, business partnerships, or close groups that end or fall apart. For example, 'the band broke up after ten years' is very natural. The key is that the subject should be a group of people with a personal or professional bond, not a physical object.
Does 'break up' always mean one person ends the relationship, or can it be mutual?
It can be both. 'They broke up' (intransitive) suggests it was mutual or just describes the result. 'She broke up with him' suggests she made the decision. The meaning depends on the structure you choose.
Can I say 'we are breaking up' to mean we are ending our relationship?
This is unusual for the relationship-ending sense. It sounds a little awkward in most situations. It's much more natural to use the simple past — 'we broke up' — or the present perfect — 'we've broken up'.
Is 'break up' the same as 'split up'?
They are very close in meaning and usually interchangeable when talking about relationships ending. 'Break up' tends to be slightly more common in American English, while both are widely used in British English. You won't sound unnatural using either one.
Does 'break up' have other meanings in English?
Yes, 'break up' has several other meanings — for example, dividing something into pieces, or stopping a fight. In British English, it can also mean that a school term is ending. Context makes it clear which sense is meant, and this page focuses only on the relationship-ending sense.
Does 'break up' always mean dividing something? I've heard it used in other ways.
No, 'break up' has several different meanings depending on context. For example, it can mean ending a romantic relationship or dispersing a crowd. On this page, we're only looking at the sense of dividing something into smaller parts, like a company or a territory.
What kinds of things can you 'break up'?
This phrasal verb works with a wide range of objects. You can break up organisations (a company, a monopoly, a union), territories (a country, an empire), physical materials (ice, rock, land), and even abstract things like a long text, a task, or a project. If you're dividing something into smaller separate parts, 'break up' is likely the right choice.
Can I use 'break up' without an object?
Yes — when the subject itself divides into parts, no object is needed. For example, 'The band broke up' or 'The coalition broke up after the elections.' This intransitive use is very natural, especially with organisations, political groups, and countries.
Is 'break up' informal? Can I use it in essays or reports?
It's perfectly fine in formal writing. You'll regularly see it in news articles, business reports, and academic texts — for example, discussing how a monopoly was broken up or how an empire broke up into smaller states. There's no need to avoid it in serious writing.
What's the difference between 'break up' and 'split up' when talking about dividing things?
'Split up' is very similar but tends to be used more when dividing people into groups, such as splitting a class up into teams. 'Break up' is more commonly used for organisations, territories, and physical objects being divided into separate parts. In many contexts they overlap, but 'break up' sounds more natural for institutional or structural division.
Does 'break up' always mean there is a bad signal?
No — 'break up' has several different meanings in English. However, this specific sense is always about audio or signal quality becoming unclear or interrupted during a call. Other meanings include ending a relationship or dividing something into parts, so context makes the difference clear.
Why do people almost always say 'you're breaking up' instead of 'you break up'?
Because this phrasal verb usually describes something happening right now, in the middle of a call, the present continuous is by far the most natural choice. Simple present ('you break up') sounds unnatural here because it suggests a repeated habit rather than a real-time problem.
Can I say 'I will break up' to warn someone the signal might get bad?
This sounds unnatural in English. Native speakers rarely predict signal problems this way using the future simple. Instead, you might say 'I might break up in the tunnel' or 'the signal tends to break up here' if you want to warn someone in advance.
What kinds of subjects can I use with this phrasal verb?
The most common subject is 'you', referring to the person whose voice is unclear. You can also use words like 'the signal', 'the call', 'your voice', or a person's name. The subject should always relate to communication — avoid unrelated objects.
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