Synonyms

breakdown

American

[brayk-daun] / ˈbreɪkˌdaʊn /

noun

a breaking down, wearing out, or sudden loss of ability to function efficiently, as of a machine.
a loss of mental or physical health; collapse.
an analysis or classification of something; division into parts, categories, processes, etc.
Chemistry.
1. decomposition.
2. analysis.
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.
a noisy, lively folk dance.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

breakdowns

plural

Etymology

Origin of breakdown

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

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.

See Examples For:

breakdown breakdowns

Here is a breakdown of some hard questions the investor should ask, and other steps he should take while considering a very risky move.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Despite investment over the past decade to boost the chances of pupils from these areas, "when you look at the breakdown by school, it's often the most disadvantaged schools that lack resources".

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

A regional breakdown showed that exports to the European Union surged 25.3% from a year earlier, accelerating from a 6.6% rise in August.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

In Famesick, Dunham also wrote about the breakdown of her working relationship and friendship with co-showrunner and executive producer Jenni Konner.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

In the winter of that year, after yet another breakdown with hallucinations and hissing internal voices, he was institutionalized.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The company doesn’t typically provide segment breakdowns for preliminary results, but most analysts expect its semiconductor division to have driven strong quarterly earnings, offsetting weakness in home appliances, mobile devices and other nonchip businesses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

According to the suit, the issues led to at least one collision and two train breakdowns that stranded hundreds of travelers in the heat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Diplomats flying to New York on Monday for the United Nations General Assembly were treated to hours-long delays and cancellations owing to air-traffic equipment breakdowns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Jo hit burnout a year into her management role, and it led to two breakdowns within a year.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

He’s made some progress in his understanding of nervous breakdowns in men, male hysteria.

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

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023