Phrase guide

break apart

verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To dismantle something into its base components.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To disintegrate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

break up or separate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The country is disunifying
  • Yugoslavia broke apart after 1989

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disunify

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: separate, part, split up, split, break, break up

4

verb

Meaning 4

break violently or noisily; smash;

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crash, break up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disintegrate

5

verb

Meaning 5

take apart into its constituent pieces

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disassemble, dismantle, take apart, break up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: destroy, destruct

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.