breakdown
noun
a breaking down, wearing out, or sudden loss of ability to function efficiently, as of a machine.
breakdowns
-
pluralof breakdown.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
But they had all hit unexpected walls—burnout, breakdowns, disillusionment—that were forcing them to try a different approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Philadelphia and Boston, much older cities, have more water main breakdowns than L.A.,
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Although rulings on the shadow docket are typically unsigned and do not include vote breakdowns, we were able to identify how a justice voted in some cases.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Hundreds of passengers were evacuated from two Eurostar trains in Belgium after breakdowns left them without air conditioning in the midst of a sweltering heatwave, the country's rail agency said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Under the stress of trench warfare, some soldiers seemed to suffer nervous breakdowns, a condition that became known as shell shock.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
