phrasal verb · informal
break up
/breɪk ʌp/BREAK
speakingtask2
to end a romantic relationship
Examples
“They broke up after three years together.”
“He said it was best to break up while they were still friends.”
“She decided to break up with him last week.”
Band 8 sentence
“They broke up amicably after realising they wanted different things long-term.”
Collocations
- break up with someone
- break up over something
Word family
break up verbbroke up verb (past)breaking up verb (gerund)breakup noun
Common mistakes
break him→break up with him
they breakup→they break up
Say it for a higher band
5end relationship→6split up→7+break up
Synonyms
split up
end the relationship
Easily confused
break off
“They broke off their engagement.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Relationships
Learn it with its set