Phrasal verb
break up with sb
Definition
phrasal verb. to end a romantic relationship with someone.
phrasal verb. to terminate a romantic partnership or relationship; intransitive usage is common, but when transitive, it requires the preposition 'with'.
Examples
“I think I need to break up with him.”
“After dating for three years, they decided to break up with each other because they wanted different things.”
“She finally found the courage to break up with her partner after realizing their long-term goals were no longer compatible.”
Examples
simple
“I think I need to break up with him.”
contextual
“After dating for three years, they decided to break up with each other because they wanted different things.”
complex
“She finally found the courage to break up with her partner after realizing their long-term goals were no longer compatible.”
Usage
always followed by 'with' when the partner is mentioned as the object.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'split up', which is a near-synonym, and 'dump', which is much more informal and implies a one-sided, unkind ending.
Pitfall
She broke up her boyfriend.
She broke up with her boyfriend.
without 'with', the phrase 'break up' can mean to physically destroy something or to stop a fight.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up with
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
break + up + with + object