break up vs break apart

break up and break apart both are verbs.

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

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

Other synonyms of break up include crash.

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

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

As verbs, break apart is a hyponym of break up; that is, break apart is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than break up:

break up (verb)	break apart (verb)
laugh unrestrainedly	break up or separate
break or cause to break into pieces	break violently or noisily; smash
come to an end	take apart into its constituent pieces
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