breakdown

American  

[breyk-doun] / ˈbreɪkˌdaʊn /

noun

1. a breaking down, wearing out, or sudden loss of ability to function efficiently, as of a machine.

2. a loss of mental or physical health; collapse.

3. an analysis or classification of something; division into parts, categories, processes, etc.

4. Chemistry.

   1. decomposition.

   2. analysis.

5. Electricity. an electric discharge passing through faulty insulation or other material used to separate circuits or passing between electrodes in a vacuum or gas-filled tube.

6. a noisy, lively folk dance.

---

Etymology

Origin of breakdown

First recorded in 1825–35; noun use of verb phrase break down

Example Sentences

Sure: It’s not just this breakdown that set things up to be as bad as they are now.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026

The Judicial Branch of California provided this breakdown:

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

Here is a breakdown of how the 11 sectors of the S&P 500 have performed, with the full index at the bottom:

From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026

To understand this, take a look at the breakdown of Treasury yields, which is the underlying, or real, yield plus inflation expectations.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

And then he has another breakdown, again after an ill-advised trip to Arles.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

• disintegration
• disruption
• failure
• mishap
• nervous breakdown