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
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
Exposure to heat and light breaks down the delicate oils in spices.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
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
Saleen Martin, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
Exposure to heat and light breaks down the delicate oils in spices.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks down
Verb
-
Arkansas ranks high as a national leader in the school choice movement, the head of the state's Educational Freedom Accounts program said Thursday, citing standings from several think tanks and advocacy groups.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Kirk, a prominent voice in culture wars on college campuses, hosts a daily radio show and podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show, which ranks among the top 10 on Apple News’ list of top podcasts and has a strong Gen Z fan base.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 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,
10 Sep. 2025
-
His team analyzes fleet needs and comes up with a proposal that makes sense.—
Kristin Shaw,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If the lipids oxidize after the plant dies, much of the benefit could vanish.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
-
When a member of Congress dies, flags are lowered on the day of death and the following day.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Sep. 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
-
Continue reading … ROLL BACK – Cracker Barrel takes down pride website after pressure from activists.—
,
FOXNews.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The shift change shatters my sleep like a robin’s egg crashing against pavement.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Most sitcoms that cast celebrities to play themselves go the Thompson route, crafting a character that completely shatters the person’s public image.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Cook Political Report, which monitors elections nationwide, classifies the race as a pure toss-up.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 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
-
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
-
Competitive advantage now decays in months, not years.—
Jason Wingard,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaks down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20down. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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