breakdown

noun break·down \ ˈbrāk-ˌdau̇n \

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: breakdown in a Sentence

Definition of breakdown

1 : the action or result of breaking down: such as

a : a failure to function

preventing a breakdown of the health-care system

b : failure to progress or have effect : disintegration

a breakdown of negotiations

c medicine : a complete loss of physical, mental, or emotional vitality : a physical, mental, or nervous collapse

d : the process of decomposing

the breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen

cellular breakdown

e : division into categories

a statistical breakdown of data

: classification; also : an account analyzed into categories

a budget breakdown

2 : a fast shuffling dance; also : music for such a dance

See breakdown defined for English-language learners

See breakdown defined for kids

Examples of breakdown in a Sentence

The factory has had frequent equipment breakdowns.
Both sides are to blame for the breakdown in communication.
The irretrievable breakdown of a marriage can be grounds for divorce.
trying to prevent a breakdown of the health-care system
trying to prevent breakdown of the health-care system
He suffered a breakdown after his wife died.

Recent Examples of breakdown from the Web

There are some deeply personal moments on Love Letters, and Loco Dice takes us through each tune in this exclusive track-by-track breakdown.

— kat bein, Billboard, "Loco Dice Breaks Down His 15-Track Album 'Love Letters': Exclusive," 5 July 2018
This wouldn't be the only time a system breakdown reminded Milwaukeeans how much their health depended on clean water.

— jim higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee loves its rivers and Lake Michigan — and keeps abusing them, too," 3 July 2018
The Senate Judiciary Committee has an 11-10 breakdown between Republicans and Democrats.

— andrew o'reilly, Fox News, "Sen. Mike Lee confirms Trump interviewed him for Supreme Court post," 3 July 2018
Martial looks almost certain to leave Old Trafford this summer after the forward's relationship with manager Jose Mourinho suffered a breakdown over his lack of playing time last season.

— SI.com, "Juventus Prepared to Let Anthony Martial's Man Utd Contract Run Down as Bianconeri Bide Their Time," 28 June 2018
Zach Britton is still settling back into his closer role in his third week back from the disabled list, but for the second time this week, a ninth-inning breakdown by Britton forced the Orioles into extra innings.

— eduardo a. encina, baltimoresun.com, "Zach Britton's ninth-inning breakdown forces Orioles into extra innings again," 27 June 2018
But despite his standout season, a quick look at the vote breakdown Simmons received reveals that one of the 101 voters weighing in actually gave the Sixers standout a third-place vote.

— rob tornoe, Philly.com, "New York Post writer: Ben Simmons didn't deserve to win rookie of the year award," 27 June 2018
Union officials are reporting communications breakdowns due to language barriers and a lack of translators.

— kevin johnson, USA TODAY, "Far beyond the border, immigration detentions tax federal prisons," 27 June 2018
Aram’s supervisor asked Aram to modify her notes before entering them into the patient’s electronic chart to remove information about Aram’s investigation into the communications breakdown.

— dan eaton, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Not every workplace complaint is legally protected whistleblowing," 25 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breakdown.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of breakdown

1827

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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breakdown Synonyms

Synonyms

analysis, anatomizing, anatomy, assay, deconstruction, dissection;

Near Antonyms

agglomeration, aggregation, amalgamation, assimilation, coalescence, conglomeration, consolidation, integration, synthesis, unification;

arrangement, assortment, cataloging (or cataloguing), categorization, classification, codification, indexing;

enumeration, inventory, itemization, tabulation;

division, reduction, segmentation, separation, subdivision;

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

break down

verb

Definition of break down

transitive verb

1 a : to cause to fall or collapse by breaking or shattering

b : to make ineffective

break down legal barriers

2 a : to divide into parts or categories

b : to separate (something, such as a chemical compound) into simpler substances : decompose

c : to take apart especially for storage or shipment and for later reassembling

intransitive verb

1 a : to stop functioning because of breakage or wear

b : to become inoperative or ineffective : fail

negotiations broke down

c : to fail in strength or vitality

her health broke down

d : to succumb to mental or emotional stress

broke down and cried

e : to lose one's resolve : give in

finally broke down and bought a computer

2 of horses : to severely injure the supporting ligament or bones of the fetlock joint

3 a : to be susceptible to or undergo analysis or subdivision

the statistics break down like this

b : to undergo decomposition

See break down defined for kids

Examples of break down in a Sentence

when presented with the pile of files, the first thing he did was to break them down by month, order within the month, and region
the enamel of a human tooth will begin to break down when exposed to sugar for too long

Recent Examples of break down from the Web

His relationship to Trump seems to me on the level of: Trump is a reality-TV star who uses fame to break down barriers of the establishment.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "What Classical Music Can Learn From Kanye West," 2 July 2018
The research team plans to break down the Biobank data by coffee preparation type — pressed coffee, versus filtered coffee, for example, to see if that makes any difference to health.

— NBC News, "Coffee is good for you, more science shows," 2 July 2018
USA TODAY Sports is getting you ready for the 2018 season by breaking down the best players at each position in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

— paul myerberg, USA TODAY, "The 10 best quarterbacks in college football," 26 June 2018
These efforts carried forward the project of breaking down the transactional features of American parties and injecting greater ideological commitment into American politics.

— sam rosenfeld, Vox, "The Democratic Party is moving steadily leftward. So why does the left still distrust it?," 22 June 2018
Fortunately, your stomach has special cells that act as a barrier to the acid, preventing it from breaking down your stomach tissue.

— megan arnett, Scientific American, "Sweet and Sour Science You Can Taste!," 21 June 2018
Benjamin Freedland, Landry's director of luxury procurement, kicked off his trend presentation by breaking down the store's clientele.

— amber elliott, Houston Chronicle, "VIP view: Post Oak Hotel welcomes Houston bloggers to 29 Degrees North fashion boutique," 13 June 2018
This process of breaking down votes by rank continues until one candidate breaks 50%.

— christianna silva, Teen Vogue, "2018 Primaries: Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Virginia," 13 June 2018
Our cells have many compartments — lysosomes for breaking down food molecules, for example, and the endoplasmic reticulum for moving proteins around the cell.

— carl zimmer, STAT, "Shot through with microbes: How our bodies adapt to a hidden world of bacteria," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'break down.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of break down

14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

break down Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of break down

analyze, dissect, break down mean to divide a complex whole into its parts or elements. analyze suggests separating or distinguishing the component parts of something (such as a substance, a process, a situation) so as to discover its true nature or inner relationships.

- analyzed the collected data

dissect suggests a searching analysis by laying bare parts or pieces for individual scrutiny.

- commentators dissected every word of the speech

break down implies a reducing to simpler parts or divisions.

- break down the budget

BREAKDOWN Defined for English Language Learners

breakdown

noun

Definition of breakdown for English Language Learners

: a failure of a machine to function : an occurrence in which a machine (such as a car) stops working
: the failure of a relationship or of an effort to discuss something
: a failure that prevents a system from working properly

BREAKDOWN Defined for Kids

breakdown

noun break·down \ ˈbrāk-ˌdau̇n \

Definition of breakdown for Students

1 : a failure to function properly

2 : a sudden failure of mental or physical health

Medical Dictionary

breakdown

noun break·down \ ˈbrāk-ˌdau̇n \

medical Definition of breakdown

: the action or result of breaking down: as

a : a failure to function

b : a physical, mental, or nervous collapse

c : the process of decomposing

breakdown of food during digestion

breakdown

adjective

medical Definition of breakdown

: obtained or resulting from disintegration or decomposition of a substance

a breakdown product of purine

break down

transitive verb \ (ˈ)brāk-ˈdau̇n \

medical Definition of break down

: to separate (as a chemical compound) into simpler substances : decompose

intransitive verb

1 a : to stop functioning because of breakage or wear

b : to fail in strength or vitality

c : to succumb to mental or emotional stress

2 of horses : to severely injure the supporting ligament or bones of the fetlock joint

3 : to undergo decomposition

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breakdown

Definition of breakdown

Examples of breakdown in a Sentence

Recent Examples of breakdown from the Web

First Known Use of breakdown

breakdown Synonyms

Synonyms

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Other Psychology Terms

break down

Definition of break down

Examples of break down in a Sentence

Recent Examples of break down from the Web

First Known Use of break down

break down Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of break down

Phrases Related to BREAKDOWN

Related Phrases

BREAKDOWN Defined for English Language Learners

breakdown

Definition of breakdown for English Language Learners

BREAKDOWN Defined for Kids

breakdown

Definition of breakdown for Students

Medical Dictionary

breakdown

medical Definition of breakdown

breakdown

medical Definition of breakdown

break down

medical Definition of break down

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