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
The Dog Whisperer breaks down a simple method to make sure your pup knows where to go when nature calls.
—
Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025
Shortly after, Kate breaks down and apologizes to Hal, begging him to take her back.
—Trish Deitch, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Read on as Entertainment Weekly breaks down those questions and explores the ending of The Woman in Cabin 10.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
This morning, Pierre Thomas breaks down the charges.
—ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
In the decades following, however, one of the film's more poignant scenes — in which his character, Ahmad, emotionally breaks down in front of his family — has turned into a viral meme, used in (mostly) unserious internet moments.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Ashley breaks down Micah Parsons' trip to Dallas to reunite with Dak Prescott and the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football and the Giants' decision to start rookie Jaxson Dart over Russell Wilson.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Compost needs a mix of oxygen (greens) and carbon (browns) that breaks down to create an amendment.
—Lauren David, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2025
After Pray Tell breaks down the ins and outs of living with HIV, Ricky follows him to bed.
—James Factora, Them., 26 Sep. 2025
Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025
Shortly after, Kate breaks down and apologizes to Hal, begging him to take her back.
—Trish Deitch, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Read on as Entertainment Weekly breaks down those questions and explores the ending of The Woman in Cabin 10.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
This morning, Pierre Thomas breaks down the charges.
—ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
In the decades following, however, one of the film's more poignant scenes — in which his character, Ahmad, emotionally breaks down in front of his family — has turned into a viral meme, used in (mostly) unserious internet moments.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Ashley breaks down Micah Parsons' trip to Dallas to reunite with Dak Prescott and the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football and the Giants' decision to start rookie Jaxson Dart over Russell Wilson.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Compost needs a mix of oxygen (greens) and carbon (browns) that breaks down to create an amendment.
—Lauren David, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2025
After Pray Tell breaks down the ins and outs of living with HIV, Ricky follows him to bed.
—James Factora, Them., 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks down
Verb
-
His production, measured by EPA per start on pass plays and QB rushes, ranks second among 33 qualifying quarterbacks (minimum three starts) this season, per TruMedia.—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Cupertino famously serves as a hub for the tech juggernaut Apple and ranks among the wealthiest cities in the county, with a median household income of $231,139 according to the 2023 data from the US Census.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
When leaves fall to the ground, the carbon stays in these leaves, breaks down, and decomposes and releases nutrients back into the soil that plants can take in.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The calculation, called the Fourier transform, decomposes any function into its parts.—
Shalma Wegsman,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The new Studio introduces an intuitive Smart Machining Wizard that automatically analyzes project geometry and recommends optimal toolpath parameters.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The latest installment, which premiered Thursday on Netflix, picks up just moments after the Season 2 cliffhanger when the President dies after Hal (Rufus Sewell) informs him of Vice President Grace Penn’s involvement in the bombing of a British aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
18 Oct. 2025
-
There’s also the risk of secondary toxicity if a mole comes to the surface, dies, and is eaten by a raptor or other predator.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
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Continue reading … ROLL BACK – Cracker Barrel takes down pride website after pressure from activists.—
,
FOXNews.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In a small town like Harding, a crime involving local children of local families shatters the relatively placid and usually numb routines of daily life.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Continue reading … HEAT HISTORY – Padres flamethrower shatters MLB record with jaw-dropping pitch in playoff battle.—
,
FOXNews.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Sabato's Crystal Ball also classifies the race as leaning toward Republicans.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Forbes classifies Ellison–who bought nearly all of the Hawaiian island Lanai for $300 million in 2012–as a California resident based on his voter registration.—
Ella Malmgren,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The heartwood in the tree’s center decays first and makes for easy excavating.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
21 Sep. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Breaks down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20down. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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