verb
transitive verb
1. archaic : to enter forcefully : break into : break and enter
2. : to disrupt the continuity or flow of
quotations are apt to break up a book by making it less easy to read — J.E.Gloag
3.
a. : to bring about the decomposition or destruction of
b. : dissipate , cure
break up a cold
c. : to bring to an end by settling or disrupting
a home run in the tenth that broke up the game
a fight that broke up the meeting
4. : to break into pieces in scrapping or salvaging : scrap
breaking up the obsolete warships
5. : to check broodiness in (a hen) usually by isolation or change of diet — compare broody coop
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to cease to exist as a unit : split into separate components : disband , disperse
the party broke up at midnight
his family had broken up and scattered
when school breaks up in the spring
b. : become separated into parts or fragments : dissolve
when the ice breaks up on the river
2.
a. : to fail physically
b. : to lose morale, composure, or resolution
likely to break up under enemy attack
broke up when he heard the joke