phrasal verb · neutral
break up with
/breɪk ʌp wɪð/break UP with
Band 4-5speakingtask2
To end a romantic relationship with someone.
Examples
“She decided to break up with her boyfriend after they argued too often.”
“They broke up last month but still see each other occasionally.”
“It was hard for him to break up with someone he had been with for five years.”
Band 8 sentence
“After realising their goals were incompatible, they mutually agreed to break up with no hard feelings.”
Collocations
- break up with someone
- have a breakup
Word family
break up phrasal verbbreakup noun
Common mistakes
break off with→break up with
break up someone→break up with someone
Say it for a higher band
5end relationship→6split up→7+break up with
Synonyms
split up
end a relationship
Easily confused
split up
“After a long argument, they decided to split up.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Family & Relationships
Learn it with its set