break up — end a romantic relationship
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
When two people break up, they end their romantic relationship.
Say it like a native
Textbook My partner and I have terminated our romantic relationship.
Native My boyfriend and I broke up.
'Break up' is the everyday verb for a couple splitting; 'terminated our relationship' is bizarrely formal.
Pattern: break up (with someone)
In use
- After dating for two years, they decided to break up.relationships
- In my opinion, it's better to break up than to stay in an unhappy relationship.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ She broke up her boyfriend last week.
✓ She broke up with her boyfriend last week.
You 'break up WITH' someone — don't drop 'with'.
Common collocations
break up with— with him, with her, for good, over text
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'break down', which means to stop working or to become very emotional.
Related
- break up (separate into smaller pieces) — Another meaning of 'break up' is 'separate into smaller pieces'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.