Language: en
Meaning: (transitive)Tobreakorseparateintopieces.Break upthe cheese and put it in the salad.; (intransitive)To break or separate into pieces; todisintegrateorcome apart.Itbroke upwhen it hit the ground.1949May and June, R. A. H. Weight, “A Short-Lived Pacific Class”, inRailway Magazine, page196:So, subject to the salvaging of serviceable parts, all five were withdrawn forbreaking upin 1936-7, and thus ended one of the shortest histories of an important locomotive class on record.2022August 24, Bruce Healey, “Wartime tunnel crash: a miraculous escape”, inRAIL, number964, page53:It was recorded that 26 wagons were either destroyed or more or lessbroken up.; (transitive)Toupsetgreatly; to cause greatemotionaldisturbance or unhappiness in.1912,Arthur Conan Doyle,The Lost World[…], London; New York, N.Y.:Hodder and Stoughton,→OCLC:"I remember his wail at the meeting, which began: 'In fifty years experience of scientific intercourse----' It quitebrokethe old manup."; (intransitive,idiomatic)To end a (usually romantic or sexual)relationship.Shebroke upwith her boyfriend last week.; (reciprocal,intransitive)To end a (usually romantic or sexual)relationshipwith each other.Jane and Stephenbroke up.; (intransitive,idiomatic)Todissolve; topart.The meeting finallybroke upafter a three-hour discussion.1762,Charles Johnstone,The Reverie; or, A Flight to the Paradise of Fools[1], volume 2, Dublin: Printed by Dillon Chamberlaine,→OCLC, page202:At length, one night, when the company by ſome accidentbroke upmuch ſooner than ordinary, ſo that the candles were not half burnt out, ſhe was not able to reſiſt the temptation, but reſolved to have them ſome way or other. Accordingly, as ſoon as the hurry was over, and the ſervants, as ſhe thought, all gone to ſleep, ſhe ſtole out of her bed, and went down ſtairs, naked to her ſhift as ſhe was, with a deſign to ſteal them[…][1898],J[ohn] Meade Falkner,Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.:Jonathan Cape, published1934,→OCLC:So the meetingbroke up, and the torchlight grew dimmer, and died away as it had come in a red flicker on the roof, and the footsteps sounded fainter as they went up the passage, until the vault was left to the dead men and me.; (intransitive,idiomatic)Of a school, to close for the holidays at the end of term.2021August 25, Stefanie Foster, “Comment: A dumb way to die”, inRAIL, number938, page 3:Once the schoolsbreak upfor the holidays, children across the country are at a loose end and instances of kids doing stupid things on the railway become far too common.; (intransitive,telecommunications)Of a conversation, to cease to be understandable because of a bad connection; of a signal, to deteriorate.You'rebreaking up. Can you repeat that? Well, it gotcut off.2009, Lady Gagaet al., “Telephone”:what did you say? you'rebreaking upon me; (transitive,idiomatic)Tostopafight; to separate people who are fighting.The police came in tobreak upthe disturbance.; (intransitive,idiomatic,figuratively)To becomedisorganised.2011September 18, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia”, inBBC Sport[2]:England's superior conditioning began to show in the final quarter and as the game began tobreak up, their three-quarters began to stamp their authority on the game. And when Foden went on a mazy run from inside his own 22 and put Ashton in for a long-range try, any threat of an upset was when and truly snuffed out.; (transitive)To cut or take to pieces for scrap.1940December, “Notes and News: Locomotive News”, inRailway Magazine, pages667–668:Ex-Brighton "I4" 4-4-2 tank No. 2034, the last of its class, and "02" 0-4-4 tank No. 214 have beenbroken up.1948November and December, Reginald H. Coe, “The Holden 2-4-0 Locomotives of the L.N.E.R.”, inRailway Magazine, page366:It may not be known generally that the tenders of the scrapped engines of this class were found to be in too good a condition to bebroken up, and are now attached to Class "J15" 0-6-0 goods.; (transitive,intransitive,idiomatic,slang)To be or cause to be overcome withlaughter.
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