break down into

idiom

1

: to separate (something) into (simpler substances)

Water can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis.

2

: to become separated into simpler substances

Water can break down into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis.

3

: to divide (something) into (parts or groups)

The report is broken down into three sections.

4

: to be able to be divided into parts or groups

The report breaks down into three sections.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The burning vinyl chloride gas could break down into compounds including hydrogen chloride and phosgene, a chemical weapon used during World War I as a choking agent, according to the US EPA and CDC. —Nouran Salahieh, CNN, 20 Feb. 2023

Plastics are key because international research increasingly shows some types can break down into smaller pieces known as microplastics. —Scott Sonner, USA TODAY, 15 May 2022

The sauce will break down into a deep and uniform vermilion color. —Danny Chau, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2022

Fixing the nation’s immigration system has long been a goal of many, though strategies to do that are widely divergent and often break down into creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants versus border enforcement. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2022

The 21 data points break down into two broad categories, which are pollution burden and population characteristics. —Yoohyun Jung, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Nov. 2021

Instead, the fibers break down into microplastics, which are frequently ingested by all types of creatures -- including the primate species that currently dominates the planet. —cleveland, 29 May 2021

The available style choices generally break down into either Power Ranger or gold-prospector work boots. —Alexander George, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2021

Shellhammer says that the terpenes in hops, which are similar to the terpenes in cannabis, never add up to or break down into a skunky smell. —Madeline Bodin, Discover Magazine, 29 Jan. 2021

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