1
as in to classify
to arrange or assign according to type
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to decompose
to go through decomposition
the enamel of a human tooth will begin to break down when exposed to sugar for too long
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to analyze
to identify and examine the basic elements or parts of (something) especially for discovering interrelationships
if we break the problem down into what appear to be three aspects of it, we'll have a better chance of solving it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to die
to stop functioning
the computer finally broke down and had to be replaced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to crack
to yield to mental or emotional stress
began to break down when he realized that he was on the verge of bankruptcy
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in to take down
to take apart
the crew was breaking down the party tent when we arrived
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in to shatter
to cause to break with violence and much noise
firefighters had to break down the wall to rescue the kitten
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in nervous breakdown
a mental or nervous collapse
if you don't ease your workload, you're going to have a breakdown
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposition
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances
the breakdown of the body was arrested by the embalming process
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in analysis
the separation and identification of the parts of a whole
the boss wanted a detailed breakdown of the sales figures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of break down
Susanne Rust
follow, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Lipase breaks down fats, amylase breaks down carbs, and proteases and peptidases both break down proteins, to name a few.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 11 Mar. 2026
Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2026
The apparent breakdown of particle physics at this scale has inspired some dramatic theories.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break down
Verb
While some can persist for thousands of years, others break down much more quickly.
—Susanne Rust
follow, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Lipase breaks down fats, amylase breaks down carbs, and proteases and peptidases both break down proteins, to name a few.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 11 Mar. 2026
Noun
Here's a full budget breakdown example.
—Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2026
The apparent breakdown of particle physics at this scale has inspired some dramatic theories.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break down
Verb
-
The case was classified as an animal bite but the animal has yet to be recovered, according to Oldoerp.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The World Health Organization now classifies burnout as an occupational phenomenon, and research shows that the average person’s attention span has dropped nearly 50% in the last two decades.—
Elan Gepner-Dales,
Rolling Stone,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The detail was that Rivas’ body was not only badly decomposed when it was found – it had been dismembered and separated into two bags before being placed in the trunk of the Tesla.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Buildup occurs when grass grows faster than the layer of thatch can decompose.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a study published today in Frontiers in Earth Science, the researchers analyzed a nearly 32-feet-long (10 meters) ice core containing atmospheric records spanning the Roman empire up to the mid-17th century.—
Nidhi Sharma,
Popular Science,
13 Mar. 2026
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This article was generated by the Bay Area Home Report Bot, software that analyzes home sales or other data and creates an article based on a template created by humans.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Twenty-three immigrants have already died in custody in the current fiscal year, putting it on pace to surpass the previous one, which had the highest number of deaths in immigration detention in decades.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
-
He was transported to a nearby hospital and died from his injuries on March 10, officials said.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
These images are perplexing, thrilling—visual nuts to crack.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Grout's biggest challenge is cracking from improper installation or too much moisture.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Wedgewood hung in at home this past Sunday against Minnesota as the Avs pulled out another big divisional win, taking down the Wild 3-2 via shootout.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The group, Handala, which has been involved in pro-Palestinian hacktivist activities, posted about taking down Stryker on Wednesday as reports of the outage began to emerge.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The storms shattered windows, tore off roofs and smashed vehicles in Kankakee.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Within 10 minutes, her windows shattered, the front door blew open and drywall started falling on top of her.—
Rebecca Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
As for this devastated, miserable, freaked out, walking nervous breakdown of a man?—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
25 Nov. 2025
-
The 1970s were Hollywood’s nervous breakdown.—
Remy Blumenfeld,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20down. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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