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.
These compounds are involved in other biological functions, including reactions carried out by liver enzymes that help break down drugs.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
Ramirez knows from experience that if you use a generator, “it will break down at the worst time.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
On ICYMI, host Kate Lindsay and Slate tech editor Tony Ho Tran break down the digital do’s and don’ts for couples, and argue that the thing that ruined dating might actually be making relationships better.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
PFAS, known as "forever chemicals" because they take a long time to break down, have previously been linked to serious health conditions, including kidney and testicular cancer.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Bridge and Sherm made sure they weren’t assigned to break down the last “official” act, which was a barbershop quartet of eighth graders.
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
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.
