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 new trend report breaks down destinations gaining the most buzz – and a few American getaways cracked the list of international gems.
—
Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
The video above breaks down all the factors that have led to the Bears run game getting back on track.
—Robert Mays, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
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
Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
The video above breaks down all the factors that have led to the Bears run game getting back on track.
—Robert Mays, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks down
Verb
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Their presence should bolster a run defense that ranks 31st in the league.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
30 Oct. 2025
-
China, which has been rapidly expanding its own arsenal, ranks third with roughly 600 warheads, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Return nutrients back to the soil Fallen leaves and other plant debris act as a natural mulch, which slowly decomposes over the winter.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
18 Oct. 2025
-
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
Verb
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Using advanced machine learning algorithms, Vision AI analyzes every error to find groups with common failure causes.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Oct. 2025
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Harbor analyzes medical data to predict patient care costs and whether a patient is at high risk of developing a specific condition, requiring a surgery or needing hospitalization.—
Hayley Cuccinello,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Steven Spielberg saw the original cut of the film prior to its release in which Katie dies, and convinced Peli to reshoot the more ominous ending where Featherston simply goes missing.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
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While some tests can provide hints that someone has the condition, CTE can only be definitively diagnosed after a person dies and researchers can physically examine that person’s brain, Crary said.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After the gang successfully takes down Godolkin by embracing supe differences and leaning on their collective power, Polarity ultimately makes the choice to stay behind, charging himself with taking care of the rest of the school’s young supes.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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The latest expression that shatters the 140-proof mark comes from Louisville blender Barrell Craft Spirits, and this is one blend of whiskeys finished in Caribbean rum barrels that should be on any whiskey masochist’s bottle list.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
30 Oct. 2025
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Her decision to walk away seems like an act of autonomy — until the final sequence shatters any illusion of closure.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This five-tier system classifies hurricanes by sustained wind speed and estimates potential damage, ranging from minor roof damage to total structural collapse.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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Aid organizations say the reasoning appears to be used to refer to a wide variety of comments the Israeli government classifies as antisemitic.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The most common isotope, plutonium-239, is produced when the most common isotope of uranium, uranium-238, absorbs a neutron and then quickly decays to plutonium.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Oct. 2025
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The heartwood in the tree’s center decays first and makes for easy excavating.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
21 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaks down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20down. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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