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
Brent Lang, Variety‘s executive editor, also broke down the 2025 summer box office haul, reflecting on the underwhelming overall tally for the crucial frame.
—
Andrew McGowan, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Netanyahu initially said Israel would conquer all of Gaza after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Skenes then broke down why reliever Evan Sisk picked up his first big league victory by pitching a scoreless seventh before the Pirates took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning when Henry Davis dashed home following a wild pitch.
—Will Graves, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2025
In the early 2000s, companies rushed into massive ERP implementations—only to abandon them when workflows broke down.
—Erik Greenstein, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Andrew McGowan, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Netanyahu initially said Israel would conquer all of Gaza after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Skenes then broke down why reliever Evan Sisk picked up his first big league victory by pitching a scoreless seventh before the Pirates took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning when Henry Davis dashed home following a wild pitch.
—Will Graves, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2025
In the early 2000s, companies rushed into massive ERP implementations—only to abandon them when workflows broke down.
—Erik Greenstein, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke down
Verb
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In the end, Sutton-Schulman won the Triangle Springs appeal, but Highmark classified L’s treatment at Menninger as two separate admissions.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Where cancellation fees were once treated largely as compensation outside the scope of VAT, the Court has increasingly classified them as consideration for services and therefore taxable.—
Aleksandra Bal,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Woolf's remains were found unclothed and partially decomposed near the San Joaquin trailhead in Tucson in December 2024.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
The body had decomposed, but the uniform the person was wearing and other equipment was well-preserved, L’Adige reported.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Exploring the Connection Between Diet and Hair Growth For the new review, researchers analyzed 17 studies from around the world, including a total 61,332 people between the ages of 7 and 77.—
Brian Mastroianni,
Health,
5 Sep. 2025
-
In the hacking campaigns Proofpoint analyzed, cybercriminals attempted to trick users into downloading and installing Stealerium as an attachment or a web link, luring victims with typical bait like a fake payment or invoice.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
North’s longtime wife, Betsy, died late last November, soon after their 56th wedding anniversary.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
A student who authorities say opened fire at his Colorado high school, wounding two classmates and then turning the gun on himself, has died, according to the local sheriff's office.—
Alex Stone,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Mickey Gasper drove in a career-high three runs, and Matt Wallner hit his 21st home run of the season, but Minnesota’s bullpen melted down in the seventh inning and the White Sox rallied to sweep a four-game series with a 11-8 victory Thursday at nearly empty Target Field.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Keegan Akin shut the Red Sox down over two perfect innings, but the home club finally had an opportunity in the eighth after Kade Strowd melted down with two singles and a four-pitch walk to load the bases with nobody out.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Atlanta trailed 6-2 early, but Howard knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers to push the Dream ahead midway through the first quarter.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
6 Sep. 2025
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House of the Dragon isn’t anywhere close to this, and that’s even with season 2 knocked down to eight episodes, and allegedly season 3 will also have eight.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the aftermath, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko recorded a video message from the building’s shattered upper floors.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Photos of the aftermath showed the front windshield on the roof of the bus shattered and nearly flattened.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 2007, Kansas was picked to play in the Orange Bowl over Mizzou, even though the Tigers were ranked higher and had won the head-to-head matchup in the final week of the regular season.—
Quentin Corpuel,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
-
His 151 carries ranked sixth, while his 631 rushing yards ranked seventh.—
Jacob Robinson,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broke down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20down. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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