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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of broken-down
Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken-down
Adjective
-
But Spencer said replacing old, dilapidated buildings with newer ones could also put the district in a better position to compete with charter schools.—
Silas Allen,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 June 2025
-
That made staying in Oakland untenable for the franchise, which played its final season in the dilapidated stadium last year.—
W.G. Ramirez,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
Verb
-
Data held in qubits is affected by data held in other qubits, even when physically separated.—
Chuck Brooks,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Once the ladies are separated, Jackie pulls Heavenly aside to scold her for her behavior.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The prospect of trying to cut open a stubborn 5-4-1 block in the Orlando heat could have become torturous quite quickly.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
-
At that point, roughly 70 million Social Security recipients would see their monthly benefits cut by about 20%.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
And while the unemployment rate remains low, hiring has been weak, leaving those without jobs struggling to find new work.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
-
Total textile and apparel exports declined from $44.4 billion in fiscal year 2022 to $35.8 billion in fiscal year 2024 (ending March 31), due to weak global demand and elevated production costs.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Our recommendations are sorted by the best plans for older dogs, for puppies, for dogs with pre-existing conditions, for wellness plans and for households with multiple dogs.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
30 Dec. 2024
-
But Moyes had other ideas — as did Ed Woodward in his first summer as United’s chief executive — and sorted it out in a frank discussion with Rooney.—
Daniel Taylor,
The Athletic,
29 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The second phase was meant to pave the way to an end to the war, although the truce disintegrated when Israeli forces resumed airstrikes on Gaza.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2025
-
The premier Copley Cup — which for decades drew the nation’s elite men’s varsity eights for an early-season east/west showdown – has disintegrated into an alumni race.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Sometimes the internal organs are inspected in situ, but more typically they are removed, washed down, and dissected on a water table.—
Samuel Ashworth,
The Atlantic,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Each release became an event; her every move was dissected by social media.—
Kristen S. Hé,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Fewer than 100 members of the military died from COVID-19, according to the Department of Defense.—
Avery Lotz,
Axios,
28 Jan. 2025
-
An American Airlines worker died after they were struck by a ramp vehicle on the tarmac at an airport on Monday morning.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken-down. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share