Marital status

1. If two people split up, or if someone or something splits them up, they end their relationship or marriage.

Research suggests that children whose parents split up are more likely to drop out of high school... I was beginning to think that nothing could ever split us up... I split up with my boyfriend last year.
2 If a group of people split up or are split up, they go away in different directions.

Did the two of you split up in the woods?... This situation has split up the family... Touring the album temporarily split the band up.

3 If you split something up, or if it splits up, you divide it so that it is in a number of smaller separate sections.

Any thought of splitting up the company was unthinkable they said... Even though museums have begged to borrow her collection, she could never split it up... Her company has had to split up and work from two locations.
2. A steady situation continues or develops gradually without any interruptions and is not likely to change quickly.

Despite the steady progress of building work, the campaign against it is still going strong... The improvement in standards has been steady and persistent, but has attracted little comment from educationalists... A student doesn't have a steady income.
steadi|ly

Relax as much as possible and keep breathing steadily...

2 If an object is steady, it is firm and does not shake or move about. unsteady 3

Get as close to the subject as you can and hold the camera steady...

If you look at someone or speak to them in a steady way, you look or speak in a calm, controlled way.

`Well, go on,' said Camilla, her voice fairly steady...

steadi|ly

He moved back a little and stared steadily at Elaine.

4 If you describe a person as steady, you mean that they are sensible and reliable.

He was firm and steady unlike other men she knew.

5 If you steady something or if it steadies, it stops shaking or moving about.

Two men were on the bridge-deck, steadying a ladder... Lovelock eased back the throttles and the ship steadied.

6 If you steady yourself, you control your voice or expression, so that people will think that you are calm and not nervous. = compose 7 You say `steady on' to someone to tell them to calm down or to be careful about what they are saying.

Somehow she steadied herself and murmured, `Have you got a cigarette?'... She breathed in to steady her voice.

`What if there's another murder?'`Steady on!'...