break up — separate into smaller pieces
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To divide something into smaller parts or pieces.
Say it like a native
Textbook Divide the chocolate into smaller individual segments.
Native Break the chocolate up into pieces.
'Break up' is the everyday verb for splitting something into bits; the formal version is recipe-stiff.
Pattern: break (something) up
In use
- She broke up the chocolate bar and shared it with her friends.daily life
- During my presentation, I tried to break up the information so it was easier to understand.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Break up the text in shorter paragraphs.
✓ Break the text up into shorter paragraphs.
'Break up INTO' smaller parts, not 'in'.
Common collocations
break up + into pieces— into pieces, the soil, the journey, into chunks
Don't confuse it
'Break up' means to separate into pieces, while 'break down' can mean to analyze or to stop working.
Related
- break up (end a romantic relationship) — Another meaning of 'break up' is 'end a romantic relationship'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.