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
But when the central and eastern Pacific starts to warm, that balance breaks down.
—
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 15 June 2026
Below, Akinnuoye-Agbaje breaks down the climactic episode, explaining why Alamo decides to let Rue kill herself and why Bishop betrays him.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 1 June 2026
Below, Silvera breaks down the Season 2 filming of the Marvel series, the emotional layers of a fight scene, and what to expect in the next season.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
And then, there’s the leader, who breaks down just about every huddle when the team comes off the field and prepares to bat.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 25 May 2026
And after 134,387 steps — which breaks down to about 67 miles — my feet still felt surprisingly fresh, with no aches or sweaty toes.
—Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 24 May 2026
Brisket is a tough, richly marbled cut that only turns tender after hours of low-and-slow cooking, when connective tissue breaks down and fat renders into the meat.
—Paula Disbrowe, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 May 2026
The latest monthly budget update on the national debt and its interest burden, shared on May 8, breaks down the government’s income and outgoings for the fiscal year so far, which began in October.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 May 2026
Quince actually breaks down the price for each item on its site, revealing the cost for materials, packaging, freight and handling, duties, taxes and other fees.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 11 May 2026
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 15 June 2026
Below, Akinnuoye-Agbaje breaks down the climactic episode, explaining why Alamo decides to let Rue kill herself and why Bishop betrays him.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 1 June 2026
Below, Silvera breaks down the Season 2 filming of the Marvel series, the emotional layers of a fight scene, and what to expect in the next season.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
And then, there’s the leader, who breaks down just about every huddle when the team comes off the field and prepares to bat.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 25 May 2026
And after 134,387 steps — which breaks down to about 67 miles — my feet still felt surprisingly fresh, with no aches or sweaty toes.
—Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 24 May 2026
Brisket is a tough, richly marbled cut that only turns tender after hours of low-and-slow cooking, when connective tissue breaks down and fat renders into the meat.
—Paula Disbrowe, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 May 2026
The latest monthly budget update on the national debt and its interest burden, shared on May 8, breaks down the government’s income and outgoings for the fiscal year so far, which began in October.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 May 2026
Quince actually breaks down the price for each item on its site, revealing the cost for materials, packaging, freight and handling, duties, taxes and other fees.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaks down
Verb
-
From a box-score perspective, Brind’Amour’s case ranks similarly to that of Rick Tocchet, Bill Guerin and Ray Whitney, who are all unlikely to be inducted given other sure-thing candidates about to retire around the league.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Take a look team history, players to watch and where FIFA ranks both teams.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The research team enabled a room-temperature, four-electron chemical reaction path that forms and decomposes lithium oxide, which expands available energy storage.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
-
Organic material trapped in reservoirs accumulates and decomposes over time, releasing methane — a potent greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to global warming, Fernández-Garrido told CNN.—
Radina Gigova,
CNN Money,
27 May 2026
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,
13 June 2026
-
The second layer receives data from all suckers, analyzes the object's position over a window of roughly four seconds, and decides the global gripping strategy – whether to curl the tentacle up, down, or rotate it – overriding local decisions if needed.—
Omar Kardoudi
June 13,
New Atlas,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
The funds, which are repaid when the homeowner dies or permanently moves out of the home, can also be used for virtually any purpose, including medical expenses, home improvements, debt repayment or supplementing retirement income.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
Furthermore, if a woman’s legal husband dies, in most states she is entitled to a marital share of his assets, regardless of his will.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
The wedding — and especially Cassie and Nate’s dance, as Cassie melts down on the day she’s spent her life dreaming of, having learned about the deep financial hole Nate is in — must have felt especially layered.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
10 June 2026
-
The snowpack acts as a natural water storage system for California, and ideally when the region’s climate shifts from cold to warm and dry, the snow gradually melts down from rivers and creeks to fill reservoirs over a period of months.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The trio rebuild the tower and Guerrero goes up again, pulling the line for about four minutes more before the group takes down the tower, wheels the cart away from the window and walks away.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Kennedale takes down Van Alstyne Senior guards Jacoby Lovings and Trey Smith scored 14 and 11 points, respectively, as Kennedale defeated Van Alstyne 60-47 in a Class 4A Division II area-round game on Friday at Little Elm Braswell High School.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The two commit to a duel, each agreeing to fire their guns when a bottle of champagne rolls off the bar and shatters on the floor.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
1 June 2026
-
This type of error creates friction and shatters trust.—
Jerry Haywood,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
The software analyzes incoming sensor data and automatically classifies potential threats.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
-
The gray-market vendors selling vials for $300 to $600 each, as reported by the Associated Press, operate outside that process regardless of how the FDA classifies the underlying substance.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaks down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaks%20down. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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