break apart vs break up

break apart and break up both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
break apart	No	No	Yes	No
break up	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, break up is a hypernym of break apart; that is, break up is a word with a broader meaning than break apart:

Other hypernyms of break apart include break, part, separate, split, split up.

As verbs, break apart and break up are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of break apart include crash.

As verbs, break apart and break up are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of break apart include disassemble, dismantle, take apart.

break apart (verb)	break up (verb)
break up or separate	laugh unrestrainedly
break violently or noisily; smash	break or cause to break into pieces
take apart into its constituent pieces	come to an end
	separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts
	cause to go into a solution
	cause to separate
	close at the end of a session
	bring the association of to an end or cause to break up
	make a break in
	set or keep apart
	break violently or noisily; smash
	attack with or as if with a pickaxe of ice or rocky ground, for example
	release ice
	destroy the completeness of a set of related items
	take apart into its constituent pieces
	suffer a nervous breakdown
	disband
	to cause to separate and go in different directions
	discontinue an association or relation; go different ways