as in dilapidated
in a bad or weak condition because of being old, not well cared for, etc.
A broken-down car was blocking one of the lanes of the road. His body was now broken-down after many years of hard living.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in separated
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
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 cut
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 crashed
to stop functioning
the computer finally broke down and had to be replaced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in cracked
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 taken 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 broken-down
Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Clint Davis, People.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Potential for High Blood Sugar When lactose is broken down by lactase in milk, it is turned into glucose and galactose, which are considered simple sugars.
—Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 8 Aug. 2025
This framework has several actionable steps that are broken down in greater detail below.
—Bihag Karnani, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Welcome to your Queer Weekly Horoscope, a bite-sized look at the coming days broken down by your zodiac sign.
—Colin Bedell, Them., 5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Here are the top ten states with an overall stress rank in parenthesis, each broken-down by rank order for each of the five dimensions: work stress, financial stress, family stress, health & safety stress and work-life balance rankings.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
The instructions reminded me of my son’s Lego sets in how they were broken down with one simple step on each page, explained using diagrams with few words.
—Clint Davis, People.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Potential for High Blood Sugar When lactose is broken down by lactase in milk, it is turned into glucose and galactose, which are considered simple sugars.
—Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 8 Aug. 2025
This framework has several actionable steps that are broken down in greater detail below.
—Bihag Karnani, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Welcome to your Queer Weekly Horoscope, a bite-sized look at the coming days broken down by your zodiac sign.
—Colin Bedell, Them., 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken-down
Adjective
-
Dayna is unemployed and newly single, and an out-of-the-blue opportunity to fix up a dilapidated mansion into an influencer house seems like her ticket to a new life.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
31 Aug. 2025
-
Nearly two weeks after San Jose began dismantling its largest homeless encampment, the city is set to open its first-ever safe sleeping site, which will provide tents for dozens of the approximately 370 residents who have lived in dilapidated RVs and squalor at Columbus Park.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
That left 10-year-old Sheba Jackson separated from her mother, Beverly Burke.—
Mandi Wright,
Freep.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
Lion Based on a true story of an Indian boy raised by adoptive parents in Australia, this 2016 drama follows Saroo Brierley (Dev Patel), who embarks on a life-changing journey to India in search of his biological mother and brother, whom he was separated from 25 years earlier.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Purdy hit Pearsall on the first two plays of the game, and then the best throw came on a third-and-18 conversion, where Purdy let go of the ball before Pearsall even cut inside on his dig route.—
Vic Tafur,
New York Times,
17 Aug. 2025
-
Faculty advisory committees are continuing to finalize their cost-cutting proposals for the division.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The sides and top of the car were damaged, and the car appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The Chainsmokers crashed an Ohio State college party.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tech disruption has repeatedly cracked the foundations of zero-sum thinking, and offered a glimpse into a better alternative.—
Ravi Kumar,
Time,
25 Aug. 2025
-
LaRavia is a solid young forward prospect, but he's played 136 career games, and has only barely cracked 2,500 minutes.—
Morten Stig Jensen,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The centre-forward is taken down, and Fernandes scored from the resulting penalty to equalise in a match United went on to win 4-1.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The videos, which have been taken down, were uploaded on Wednesday.—
Casey Tolan,
CNN Money,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The family faces a critical point that will either make their bond stronger or leave it shattered forever.—
Joyce Orlando,
The Tennessean,
29 Aug. 2025
-
When gunfire shattered a routine Mass marking the first week of class at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, middle school students were among those who acted heroically, according to an emergency official, a principal and a parent whose children attend the school.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken-down. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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