1. The termination or disintegration of a relationship (between persons or nations)
   "The breakup of the alliance weakened the country's position";
   - dissolution
    
2. Coming apart
   "Their breakup was amicable";
   - separation, detachment

1. Break or cause to break into pieces
   "The plate broke up";
   - fragment, fragmentize, fragmentise [Brit]
    
2. Come to an end
   "The tobacco monopoly broke up";
   - dissolve
    
3. Bring the association of to an end or cause to break up
   "The decree officially broke up the marriage";
   - dissolve
    
4. Discontinue an association or relation; go different ways
   "The couple broke up after 25 years of marriage";
   - separate, part, split up, split, break
    
5. Disband
   "the group broke up"
    
6. Cause to separate and go in different directions
   "She waved her hand and broke up the crowds";
   - disperse, dissipate, dispel, scatter
    
7. Break violently or noisily; smash
   "The old building broke up during the earthquake";
   - crash, break apart
    
8. Take apart into its constituent pieces
   "They had to break up the old furniture before moving";
   - disassemble, dismantle, take apart, break apart
    
9. Make a single entity or group split or become diffuse
   "break up kidney stones";
   - disperse, scatter
    
10. Set or keep apart
    "break up a relationship";
    - sever
     
11. (chemistry) separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts
    "Heat breaks up the compound";
    - decompose, break down
     
12. Cause to go into a solution
    "The detergent broke up the grease";
    - dissolve, resolve
     
13. Destroy the completeness of a set of related items
    "The book dealer would not break up the set";
    - break
     
14. Hit (for example ice or rocky ground) with or as if with a pickaxe
    "The workers had to break up the frozen soil";
    - pick
     
15. Release ice
    "The icebergs and glaciers break up";
    - calve
     
16. Suffer a nervous breakdown
    "She broke up under the pressure of her job";
    - crack up [informal], crack, collapse
     
17. Close at the end of a session
    "The court broke up";
    - adjourn, recess
     
18. Laugh unrestrainedly
    "The children broke up when the clown appeared";
    - crack up [informal]

Derived forms: breaks up, breaking up, breakups, broke up, broken up

See also: break

Type of: alter, alteration, break, break off, cease, change, change integrity, come apart, conclusion, destroy, destruct, discontinue, disintegrate, disunite, divide, end, ending, express joy, express mirth, fall apart, finish, get, give up, have, laugh, lay off, modification, modify, part, penetrate, pierce, quit, separate, spifflicate [Brit, informal], spiflicate [Brit, informal], split, split up, stop, suffer, surcease [archaic], sustain, terminate, termination, uncreate [literary]

Encyclopedia: Breakup