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Business English vocabulary · Phone and Video Calls

Break up

Meaning in business english, with examples

phrasal verbCommon term

In business english, break up means: On a phone or video call, to sound unclear or cut in and out because of a weak signal or a poor internet connection.

In Turkish: sesin kesik kesik gelmesi, sesin gidip gelmesi, bağlantının kopması

How it is used

Almost always in the continuous form: 'You're breaking up', 'Sorry, you broke up there.' Typical replies: 'Can you repeat that?', 'Let me call you back.'

Example sentences

  1. Sorry, you're breaking up. Could you say that again?

  2. The line kept breaking up, so I called her back from a landline.

Common collocations

  • you're breaking up
  • the line is breaking up
  • keep breaking up
  • breaking up a bit
  • muteTo switch off your own microphone, or someone else's, on a call so that the others cannot hear any sound from it.
  • drop offTo leave an online meeting or call before it ends, either on purpose or because the connection is lost.
  • conference callA phone or online call in which three or more people in different places talk together at the same time.
  • speak upTo speak more loudly so that others can hear you; also, to say openly what you think, especially about a problem.

More terms: Phone and Video Calls

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