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
Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Races for the court are officially nonpartisan, but support for candidates breaks down mostly along partisan lines.
—ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
Furthermore, your home routine might suddenly change today due to appliance breakdowns, minor breakages or unexpected company.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break down
Verb
The only problem was that her car was broken down.
—Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Races for the court are officially nonpartisan, but support for candidates breaks down mostly along partisan lines.
—ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
Here’s the honest breakdown — what actually works, what’s overhyped and where your money is better spent.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
Furthermore, your home routine might suddenly change today due to appliance breakdowns, minor breakages or unexpected company.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break down
Verb
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India is a critical market, with around 100 million people living with diabetes and nearly a quarter of the population classified as overweight or obese.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
-
While it could be argued that women’s health should simply be classified as health, the distinction helps highlight the longstanding disinvestment, Gilberg says.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Drainage problems and decomposing leaves and mulch will quickly attract them.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Clements said the mistaken identification may have happened because the creature decomposed and lost its telltale shell before it was fossilized, complicating identification.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The measure advances Howard County Executive Calvin Ball's Interfaith Action Plan, which analyzed 12 areas in an effort to ensure that all religious communities receive compassion, justice and care.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
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The report analyzed data from single-family homes that were at least 50% destroyed in the fire, including building permit applications, property sale records and fire damage assessments, as well as race and ethnicity markers for potential disparities.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Investigators would spend weeks building their case, combing through nearly 7,000 texts exchanged over the three months before Harold died.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Cormorants that tried to clean each other with their beaks died after ingesting the viscous muck.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There are candidates on the bench to still crack the postseason rotation if needed, too.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
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After each meal the Philadelphia native, now in his late 30s, would crack open a fortune cookie, reading the tiny paper with its words of wisdom on one side and a string of lucky numbers on the other.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Following Zarutska’s killing, multiple fundraisers for Brown were created on GoFundMe, which were promptly taken down.—
Asher Notheis,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Apr. 2026
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Joshua takes down Centennial Tre Everett had a triple and 3 runs batted in to lead Joshua past Burleson Centennial 6-4 in a District 8-5A contest on Tuesday night at Joshua High School.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In this case, the arc of the season was primed for Batula to be the victim rising from the ashes of her divorce, only for her recent romantic indiscretions to shatter that fantasy.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
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March 2026 was a historic month for temperatures in the United States, fueled by an extraordinary and prolonged heat wave that shattered temperature records across much of the West, according to a new report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).—
Dan Peck,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
When their news anchor (Peter Finch) has a nervous breakdown on the air, suddenly their ratings turn around, bringing on a moral morass only some of them are prepared to face.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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Mostly because Kiesling’s voice is delightful, and this chronicle of Daphne—a young mother-intellectual on the verge of a nervous breakdown—is open-hearted and unsparing about the work that goes into balancing infant care with day job.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20down. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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