1
as in classified
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 decomposed
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 analyzed
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 died
to stop functioning
the computer finally broke down and had to be replaced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in melted 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 knocked down
to take apart
the crew was breaking down the party tent when we arrived
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in shattered
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 broke down
On the way, their car broke down.
—
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
As Milberger was preparing to plant chile seeds last week, his machine broke down.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
At the same time, the United States has imposed a naval blockade targeting ships entering or leaving Iranian ports, part of a broader effort to pressure Tehran's own energy exports after negotiations broke down.
—Sohel Uddin, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
The Pakistani side was surprised that talks broke down and a deal to end the war with Iran didn’t emerge after Iranian and US negotiators met in marathon discussions in Islamabad.
—Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
Two empty crude tankers attempted to make their way through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Persian Gulf on Sunday, only to make last-minute U-turns just as peace negotiations between the US and Iran broke down, threatening a fragile ceasefire.
—Weilun Soon, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Even more impressively, another compound broke down fully at just 30°C, showing the method can work under milder conditions.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Mar. 2026
When one chopper broke down, another would be dismantled for parts to fix it.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
With all eyes set on March 10, 2026 for Score's new book, Désir's team broke down how much time the manufacturers would need to print each special edition.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
As Milberger was preparing to plant chile seeds last week, his machine broke down.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
At the same time, the United States has imposed a naval blockade targeting ships entering or leaving Iranian ports, part of a broader effort to pressure Tehran's own energy exports after negotiations broke down.
—Sohel Uddin, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
The Pakistani side was surprised that talks broke down and a deal to end the war with Iran didn’t emerge after Iranian and US negotiators met in marathon discussions in Islamabad.
—Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
Two empty crude tankers attempted to make their way through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Persian Gulf on Sunday, only to make last-minute U-turns just as peace negotiations between the US and Iran broke down, threatening a fragile ceasefire.
—Weilun Soon, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Even more impressively, another compound broke down fully at just 30°C, showing the method can work under milder conditions.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Mar. 2026
When one chopper broke down, another would be dismantled for parts to fix it.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
With all eyes set on March 10, 2026 for Score's new book, Désir's team broke down how much time the manufacturers would need to print each special edition.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke down
Verb
-
In California, animals and plants on the verge of extinction can be classified as threatened, endangered or fully protected.—
Sarah Linn,
Sacbee.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
They were both classified as EF0, Molina said.—
Joseph Serna,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The body was so badly decomposed that the deceased’s gender could not be determined, said police.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Clements said the mistaken identification may have happened because the creature decomposed and lost its telltale shell before it was fossilized, complicating identification.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The water will be collected and analyzed in order to determine the uranium concentration.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
To document how those policy changes are affecting farmers, The Associated Press and Grist analyzed data on both commercial-scale solar projects and small-scale rural energy development across the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Another ballot was mailed in Maya’s name in October 2024, though the dog had recently died, prosecutors said.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The man accused of carrying out a deadly string of seemingly random shootings in the Atlanta suburbs, including the killing of a Department of Homeland Security employee walking her dog, has died in jail before authorities could determine a motive.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The former Exide Technologies plant in Vernon melted down pallets of lead-acid car batteries in blast furnaces for nearly a century, blanketing up to 10,000 nearby properties with toxic dust, according to state officials.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Experts feared it would be melted down for its gold.—
Ryan Brennan
April 10,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One section failed, which caused a chain reaction that knocked down all seven stories.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Horford, stricken all season with various injuries, showed up late by providing Curry with an outlet, who knocked down four fourth-quarter 3-pointers to help take a 117-115 lead with two minutes to go.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The project offers an insightful look at Odom, a gifted athlete and former star on the Los Angeles Lakers whose championship career was shattered by multiple personal demons and addiction.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The impact shattered the glass door instantly, sending debris flying and abruptly ending the standoff.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Lowe, the fifth-longest-serving Ray with seven years and 57 days of service time, left ranked among the franchise leaders in numerous categories including homers (157, third); runs (415, sixth); extra-base hits (295, sixth) and doubles (126, eighth).—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Ahead of Coachella’s second weekend, then, here’s a list, ranked from worst to best, of every hit that Bieber has put inside the Top 10 of Billboard’s flagship singles chart, the Hot 100.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broke down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20down. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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