Break up means to end a relationship (about a couple) or to split (about a group or team). It is most often used about the end of a romantic relationship, but also about a band or a group of friends whose members go their separate ways.
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break up with + person; A and B + broke up; the band/group + broke up
- Kate broke up with her boyfriend after three years together.
- My favourite band broke up before I had a chance to see them live.
What changed
First versionLast spring Oleg broke up his girlfriend.
RevisionLast spring Oleg broke up with his girlfriend.
The person you separate from is introduced with with, and this word is easy to leave out. Without it, break up + object means to split something into pieces or to stop a fight or crowd, so the meaning changes completely.
You need with when you name one person: She broke up with him. If both people are already named at the start of the sentence, no preposition is needed: They broke up in June. For a band, there is no with either: The band broke up after their third album.
Your turn
Sam and Lucy ___ last month, and now they don't even say hello to each other.
Show the answer
broke up — Sam and Lucy don't even say hello now, so they have separated: broke up. Made up means they became friends again after an argument, and people who have made up talk to each other again.
Write about a group, team or couple that split up; it can be from a film or TV series. Say when it happened and why.
My school rock band broke up in 2019 because our drummer moved to Canada.
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