Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

breakup

/ˈbɹeɪk.ʌp/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.64 in modern English

Syllables: breakup
IPA: /ˈbɹeɪk.ʌp/

15

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The act of breaking up; disintegration or division.

noun

The termination of a friendship or a romantic relationship.

noun

A loss of emotional control; a breakdown.

noun

The season during which winter ice covering bodies of water disintegrates; more generally, spring.

Canadian usage

Example Sentences

"Several factors led to speculation that the accident might have been caused by a bomb or missile strike, including heightened safety and security concerns because of the 1996 Olympics then being held in the United States, the fact that TWA flight 800 was an international flight, and the sudden and catastrophic nature of the in-flight breakup."
""Eventually, I just pieced it together, figuring your butting heads could probably be explained by a break up. Years of anime shipping trained me for this.""

Etymology

Deverbal from break up.

Usage

Canadian usage

Inflected Forms

breakups (plural) break up (alternative) break-up (alternative)

Derived Forms

postbreakup

Phrases

third-act breakup

Frequently Paired Words

breakdown breakoff

Synonyms

rupture split split-up falling out dissolution separation detachment

Antonyms

freeze-up

Rhymes With

make-up wake-up makeup wakeup shakeup

Questions

How do you pronounce breakup?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɹeɪk.ʌp/.
What does breakup mean?: The act of breaking up; disintegration or division.
Where does breakup come from?: Deverbal from break up.

How to pronounce breakup

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “breakup”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɹeɪk.ʌp/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “breakup”.
Repeat and practice — Say “breakup” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.