nervous breakdown

Definition of nervous breakdown

: an attack of mental or emotional disorder especially when of sufficient severity to require hospitalization

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Examples of nervous breakdown in a Sentence

She had a nervous breakdown shortly after her sister's death. He is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Recent Examples on the Web As the story progresses, Hop’s wavering self-esteem turns into more of a nervous breakdown. — Washington Post, "Pokémon Sword and Shield show the turbulent road to Internet and esports stardom," 25 Nov. 2019 Later, around 1973, Chris had a minor nervous breakdown, became religious, moved to Cambridge, and found work moving furniture and delivering the Gay Community News in her van. — Larissa Macfarquhar, The New Yorker, "The Radical Transformations of a Battered Women’s Shelter," 13 Aug. 2019 Lawrence wants to call it off, but June, who's on the brink of a nervous breakdown and holding onto the gun Lawrence had given her, informs him he's no longer in charge. — Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, "'The Handmaid's Tale' Season 3 finale recap: A gorgeous and completely nonsensical ending," 14 Aug. 2019 The Secret Life of Pets 2 PG Can the family dog have a nervous breakdown? — Guy Hanford, Ramona Sentinel, "Flickers: ‘The Lion King’ leads in box office," 24 July 2019 An overworked Cherry suffered a near-nervous breakdown. — Los Angeles Times, "‘Desperate Housewives’ gossip created ‘problems’ on set, but creator Marc Cherry says he’s better for it," 14 Aug. 2019 Maddox was a feral hyena who desperately missed his siblings, and Leka was in the midst of a nervous breakdown. — Kathryn Miles, Outside Online, "How to Introduce Your New Dog to Your Old Dog," 14 Aug. 2019 The Secret Life of Pets 2 PG Can the family dog have a nervous breakdown? — Guy Hanford, Ramona Sentinel, "Flickers: ‘The Lion King’ leads in box office," 24 July 2019 Cheryl Slavin, 41, began taking clomipramine a decade ago, after she was hospitalized for a nervous breakdown stemming from her struggles with OCD and bipolar disorder. — Ben Elginbloomberg, Los Angeles Times, "Price of an OCD drug jumped 1,200%. State attorneys general blame price fixing," 2 Aug. 2019

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

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Last Updated

3 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Nervous breakdown.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nervous%20breakdown. Accessed 5 December 2019.

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