1
as in ranks
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 decomposes
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 analyzes
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 dies
to stop functioning
the computer finally broke down and had to be replaced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in melts 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 takes down
to take apart
the crew was breaking down the party tent when we arrived
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in shatters
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 breaks down
Their process uses an inexpensive catalyst that selectively breaks down the most common single-use kind of plastics into liquid oils and waxes that can be upcycled into lubricants and fuels.
—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
If a vehicle breaks down on the road, going out and servicing that is a big problem.
—James Morris, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
At the same time, the DAO enzyme that breaks down histamine can slow down, Wada says.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Flow Space, 29 Aug. 2025
Sometimes the game of football just breaks down to making one more big play than the opposition.
—Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
The drug, known by its brand name Mounjaro, is used to treat Type 2 diabetes, but is also highly effective for weight loss by reducing appetite and improving how the body breaks down sugar and fat.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Across the past three seasons, Nmecha accrued 1,408 Bundesliga minutes, which breaks down to a fraction over 15-and-a-half full games out of a possible 102.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Brad Biggs breaks down his 53-man roster projections on offense, defense and special teams after the Chicago Bears beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the preseason finale.
—Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2025
In fact, the way Game Builder Garage breaks down the programming process into a game unto itself reminded me of the best language learning apps.
—PC Magazine, 16 Aug. 2025
Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
If a vehicle breaks down on the road, going out and servicing that is a big problem.
—James Morris, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
At the same time, the DAO enzyme that breaks down histamine can slow down, Wada says.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Flow Space, 29 Aug. 2025
Sometimes the game of football just breaks down to making one more big play than the opposition.
—Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
The drug, known by its brand name Mounjaro, is used to treat Type 2 diabetes, but is also highly effective for weight loss by reducing appetite and improving how the body breaks down sugar and fat.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Across the past three seasons, Nmecha accrued 1,408 Bundesliga minutes, which breaks down to a fraction over 15-and-a-half full games out of a possible 102.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Brad Biggs breaks down his 53-man roster projections on offense, defense and special teams after the Chicago Bears beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the preseason finale.
—Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2025
In fact, the way Game Builder Garage breaks down the programming process into a game unto itself reminded me of the best language learning apps.
—PC Magazine, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks down
Verb
-
But the club ranks 11th in outs above average (eight).—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Everytown for Gun Safety, an organization lobbying for greater gun control across the country, ranks Minnesota 14th in the nation on gun law strength.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To train Voyager, researchers developed software that automatically analyzes existing videos to process camera movements and calculate depth for every frame—eliminating the need for humans to manually label thousands of hours of footage.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Doctors can also take endometrial biopsies and hysteroscopies, which analyzes period tissue, and can help catch pre-cancer earlier.—
Sam Manzella,
Flow Space,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In dog stories, a dog gives unbounded love and is the best possible friend and behaves heroically—and then the dog dies.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
6 Sep. 2025
-
If a winner dies before all the annual payments are made, the balance of the prize continues in payments to the winner's estate, Powerball says.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Shein takes down controversial listing The fast-fashion giant is conducting an investigation to determine why a shirt was promoted with what appeared to be an edited image of the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO last year.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Continue reading … ROLL BACK – Cracker Barrel takes down pride website after pressure from activists.—
,
FOXNews.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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That embryonic Xenomorph then shatters its container and leaps at Wendy, who pets it gently.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Trump's action shatters this precedent, inviting chaos.—
Dan Irvine,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Saffir‒Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS) classifies hurricanes—western hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms—into five categories, distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds.—
Miriam Toews
September 3,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
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Once the invoices arrive in De Agostini’s inbox as attachments, AI classifies the documents before extracting and validating the data.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This could include some sort of novel, exotic form of mass or energy, a non-standard form of dark matter or dark energy that decays or otherwise interacts, or a modification to one or more laws of physics.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
2 Sep. 2025
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Competitive advantage now decays in months, not years.—
Jason Wingard,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In 2003, 21-year-old Katharine Lampman was fatally crushed under a moving art car, while plane crashes at the temporary airstrip and a truck rollover caused additional injuries.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
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They too are killed instantly when Hank crashes their car and escapes with their millions.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaks down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20down. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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