1
as in classifying
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 decomposing
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 analyzing
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 dying
to stop functioning
the computer finally broke down and had to be replaced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in melting down
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 taking down
to take apart
the crew was breaking down the party tent when we arrived
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in shattering
to cause to break with violence and much noise
firefighters had to break down the wall to rescue the kitten
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of breaking down
Create simple carousel slides breaking down your methodology.
—
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Endstop triggered This is the web version of Fortune Tech, a daily newsletter breaking down the biggest players and stories shaping the future.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
Lightning also sparks hydroxyl radicals, which help cleanse the air by breaking down methane and other gases.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
About The Daily Money Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Elsewhere among playoff contenders, relievers have been breaking down.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Endstop triggered This is the web version of Fortune Tech, a daily newsletter breaking down the biggest players and stories shaping the future.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
Lightning also sparks hydroxyl radicals, which help cleanse the air by breaking down methane and other gases.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
About The Daily Money Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Elsewhere among playoff contenders, relievers have been breaking down.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking down
Verb
-
The Air Force took this case seriously under Project Blue Book, officially classifying it as ‘unexplained’ after finding no evidence of a hoax.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
-
In addition, tests have marked its accuracy at 88% in classifying wireless signal types.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Sometimes higher levels could mean more decomposing vegetation, not animal feces.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Investigators found 189 decomposing bodies stored at room temperature at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose in 2023 and charged owners Jon and Carie Hallford with abuse of a corpse, theft and forgery.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Stephan contributed reporting to the original version of this article on the best luxury bathrobes by by analyzing reviews, doing market research, and speaking to leading experts.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Only action will keep our kids from dying.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Dido’s wonderfully operatic dying curse on her former lover foreshadows the future wars between her people and the descendants of the treacherous Trojans.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Naturally, Swiftopia is melting down over the possibility over what this could mean.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Mississippi State takes this week's biggest jump after taking down Arizona State.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The Los Angeles Chargers started the 2025 NFL season as winners, taking down the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-21, on Friday night in Brazil.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As the table fell behind Cenat, shattering into pieces, the streamer looked behind him, cut the music, and asked his friends to fess up.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
August made history on its own, but compared to the record-shattering extremes of 2023 and 2024, this year had fewer heat streaks.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Ragusa is the highest-ranking female member of the fire department in uniform.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The Tigers entered Sunday ranking fourth in the percentage of runners that eventually score.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20down. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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