break up

verb

1. to separate or cause to separate
2. to put an end to (a relationship) or (of a relationship) to come to an end
3. to dissolve or cause to dissolve; disrupt or be disrupted

   the meeting broke up at noon

4. intr (of a school) to close for the holidays
5. intr (of a person making a telephone call) to be inaudible at times, owing to variations in the signal

   you're breaking up

6. informal.
   to lose or cause to lose control of the emotions

   the news of his death broke her up

7. slang.
   to be or cause to be overcome with laughter

noun

1. a separation or disintegration
2. 1. in the Canadian north, the breaking up of the ice on a body of water that marks the beginning of spring
   2. this season

Example Sentences

We’ve also been running calming ad breaks throughout election season to break up the news cycles with a moment of calm, including our first ever "silent ad," which ran throughout election night.

From Salon

Eastern Scotland, sheltered by the Scottish mountains, has seen the cloud break up at times.

From BBC

Even if taxpayers do not end up collecting rebates, people on both sides of the issue believe the measure could spur police departments to take more aggressive actions to break up encampments.

From Los Angeles Times

In an October interview moderated by Bloomberg News, Trump said he would “do something” but stopped short of saying he would break up the search giant.

From Los Angeles Times

Lipolysis usually refers to injections where chemicals break up fat cells and the fat is removed naturally by the lymphatic system and the liver.

From BBC

Related Words

• adjourn
• disband
• dismantle
• disperse
• disrupt
• dissolve
• divide
• halt
• put an end to
• separate
• split
• stop
• suspend
• terminate