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

The walkout follows a five-day strike held last month and that came after talks broke down between the government and union.

From BBC

Mike, 33, ended up sleeping on the streets after his relationship broke down after his birthday in November.

From BBC

Inside the body, linoleic acid is broken down into compounds known as oxylipins.

From Science Daily

Organic material from surface waters sinks and is broken down by microbes in the deep ocean, a process that releases CO2 and increases acidity.

From Science Daily

Wales showed some resolve with full-back Murray proving an attacking threat, but they could not break down the South Africa defence.

From BBC

Related Words

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