break down
Britishverb
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(intr) to cease to function; become ineffective
communications had broken down
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to yield or cause to yield, esp to strong emotion or tears
she broke down in anguish
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(tr) to crush or destroy
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(intr) to have a nervous breakdown
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to analyse or be subjected to analysis
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to separate or cause to separate into simpler chemical elements; decompose
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(tr) to saw (a large log) into planks
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informal
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stop it
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don't expect me to believe that; come off it
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noun
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an act or instance of breaking down; collapse
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short for nervous breakdown
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an analysis or classification of something into its component parts
he prepared a breakdown of the report
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the sudden electrical discharge through an insulator or between two electrodes in a vacuum or gas discharge tube
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electrical engineering the sudden transition, dependent on the bias magnitude, from a high to a low dynamic resistance in a semiconductor device
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a lively American country dance
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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]
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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]
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Stop functioning, cease to be effective or operable, as in The old dishwasher finally broke down . [Mid-1800s]
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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]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Times’ August Brown and Mikael Wood gathered to break down what happened — and to figure out what it all means.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
I’ll break down one of my favorite “higher for longer” investments in my next free Let’s Analyze newsletter, including why I’m buying it and the setup I’m watching.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Along with friction and chemical reactions, tiny electrical discharges from charged droplets may also play a role in how coatings break down over time.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
Witkoff’s new disclosure doesn’t break down what portion of the $107 million came from that sale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
She wanted to break down the door, leap from the train, and find her son!
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
