breakup

breakup
/brayk"up'/, n.
1. disintegration; disruption; dispersal.
2. the ending of a personal, esp. a romantic, relationship.
3. (in Alaska and Canada)
a. the melting and loosening of ice in rivers and harbors during the early spring.
b. the first day on which such ice is soft or dispersed enough to permit ships to use the waterways.
4. Informal. an act or instance of being convulsed with laughter.
5. temporary distortion in a televised picture.
[1785-95; n. use of v. phrase break up]

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Breakup — Break up , Break up Break up , n. Disruption; coming apart; a separation and dispersion of the parts or members; as, a break up of a meeting, assembly, or dinner party; the break up of a spacecraft on re entry into the atmosphere. Syn: separation …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • breakup — index defeasance, division (act of dividing), subversion Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • breakup — (n.) also break up, 1795, from verbal expression break up (mid 15c.), which was used originally of plowland, later of groups, assemblies, etc. Of things (also of marriages, relationships), to disintegrate, from mid 18c. From BREAK (Cf. break)… …   Etymology dictionary

  • breakup — [n] end of relationship breakdown, breaking, crackup*, disintegration, dispersal, dissolution, divorce, ending, parting, rift, separation, split, splitsville*, splitting, termination, wind up; concept 385 Ant. reconciliation …   New thesaurus

  • breakup — [brāk′up΄] n. the act or an instance of breaking up; specif., a) a dispersion b) a disintegration or decay c) a collapse d) a stopping or ending …   English World dictionary

  • breakup — break|up [ˈbreıkʌp] n [U and C] 1.) the act of ending a marriage or relationship ▪ the breakup of her marriage 2.) the separation of a group, organization, or country into smaller parts breakup of ▪ the breakup of the Soviet Union →break up at… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • breakup — noun (C, U) 1 the act of ending a marriage or relationship: the consequences of marital breakup on children 2 the separation of a group, organization, or country into smaller parts, especially because it has become weaker or there are serious… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • breakup — noun 1) the breakup of negotiations Syn: end, dissolution; breakdown, failure, collapse, disintegration 2) their breakup was very amicable Syn: separation, split, parting, divorce; estrangement …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • breakup — UK [ˈbreɪkʌp] / US [ˈbreɪkˌʌp] noun [countable] Word forms breakup : singular breakup plural breakups 1) the end of a serious relationship or marriage 2) the division of something such as an organization or country into smaller parts …   English dictionary

  • breakup — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ family, marital, marriage, relationship ▪ bad, messy, painful VERB + BREAKUP ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • breakup — separation, divorce, not being partners anymore, break up    Since their breakup, I don t know where to send my Christmas cards …   English idioms

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