break down

British  

verb

1. (intr) to cease to function; become ineffective

   communications had broken down

2. to yield or cause to yield, esp to strong emotion or tears

   she broke down in anguish

3. (tr) to crush or destroy

4. (intr) to have a nervous breakdown

5. to analyse or be subjected to analysis

6. to separate or cause to separate into simpler chemical elements; decompose

7. (tr) to saw (a large log) into planks

8. informal

   1. stop it

   2. don't expect me to believe that; come off it

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noun

1. an act or instance of breaking down; collapse

2. short for nervous breakdown

3. an analysis or classification of something into its component parts

   he prepared a breakdown of the report

4. the sudden electrical discharge through an insulator or between two electrodes in a vacuum or gas discharge tube

5. electrical engineering the sudden transition, dependent on the bias magnitude, from a high to a low dynamic resistance in a semiconductor device

6. a lively American country dance

break down Idioms  

1. Demolish, destroy, either physically or figuratively, as in The carpenters broke down the partition between the bedrooms , or The governor's speeches broke down the teachers' opposition to school reform . [Late 1300s]

2. Separate into constituent parts, analyze. For example, I insisted that they break down the bill into the separate charges for parts and labor , or The chemist was trying to break down the compound's molecules . [Mid-1800s]

3. Stop functioning, cease to be effective or operable, as in The old dishwasher finally broke down . [Mid-1800s]

4. Become distressed or upset; also, have a physical or mental collapse, as in The funeral was too much for her and she broke down in tears , or After seeing all his work come to nothing, he broke down and had to be treated by a psychiatrist . [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Break down the $3.5 trillion to specific focuses.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 6, 2021

Break down the puree and ensure it coats the bulgar wheat evenly.

From The Guardian • Apr. 15, 2020

Upon being hired as Callahan’s assistant offensive line coach last year, Phil Rauscher was handed the following assignment: Break down every running play that happened in the NFL during the 2017 season.

From Washington Post • Oct. 11, 2019

Break down those borders, and our beloved companions threaten to become something else—something that would almost certainly be far less companionable.

From Slate • Jun. 7, 2017

Hunger and thirst Break down all masks and all disguises, Robin.

From Collected Poems Volume Two by Noyes, Alfred

Related Words

• collapse
• crash
• decline
• decrease
• depreciate
• diminish
• dip
• dive
• dwindle
• ease
• go down
• land
• plummet
• plunge
• settle
• sink
• slip
• slump
• stumble
• tumble