broken-down 1 of 2

broken down

2 of 2

verb

past participle of break down
1
2
3
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
7

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
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
Several of the city’s small homeless campsites were broken down, leading some of the homeless to enter shelters temporarily. Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025 During this process, proteins in the flour are broken down into smaller compounds called peptides. Morgan Pearson, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2025 By the end, the team’s pitching was broken down. Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025 Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Canva Financial issues, family policies and cultural shifts are generally cited as the main reasons for the decline in births, which Newsweek has broken down in detail here. Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025 When the results were broken down by partisan affiliation, some noticeable differences emerged. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2025 When our bodies digest protein in food, it gets broken down into amino acids, which have a hand in many bodily processes, such as building and preserving muscle, making hormones, boosting the immune system and even maintaining healthy hair, skin and nails. Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025 The lamb is delivered whole, broken down by Jackman, then salted, smoked, and braised. The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken-down
Adjective
  • Forgetting Derry’s communal traumas is as much a part of the town’s firmament as the scenic canals, the nearby Air Force base where Charlotte’s hubby Leroy (Jovan Adepo) has been newly posted, and the dilapidated house at 29 Neibolt Street.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The dilapidated wooden trim and sagging porticos were spruced up a few years ago after preservationists complained to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, but the upstairs windows reveal glimpses of peeling paint, crumbling plaster, and collapsing ceilings inside.
    Kim Velsey, Curbed, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Raw animal foods not separated by type based on minimum cook temperatures (raw chicken stored above raw eggs in walk-in cooler).
    Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Allen and Harbour, 50, were married for four years, and separated in 2024.
    Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The first was that the obstacles were decomposed into cuboids.
    Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Rivas’ cause and manner of death are still being determined by the medical examiner; the exam is taking longer than usual as the remains were severely decomposed.
    Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Overall, the inflation data likely add fuel to expectations that the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates by another quarter percentage point at its policy meeting later this month - its second consecutive cut.
    NPR, NPR, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Superstar Shohei Ohtani launched a two-run shot to cut the lead down to 11-4, but the momentum still appeared to be on the Blue Jays' side in a raucous Rogers Centre.
    Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The campaign shared the tragic news on Thursday morning, revealing that Bailey's son Zachary, his wife, Kelsey, and two of their three children, daughter Vada Rose, 12, and son Samuel, 7, died after their helicopter crashed in Montana.
    Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
  • In the video, a male was seen running up the street and then through the yard with the suspect vehicle chasing him which suddenly crashed into two parked vehicles and then across a yard, striking a grill and a residence.
    Mark Price, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Their new trend report breaks down destinations gaining the most buzz – and a few American getaways cracked the list of international gems.
    Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Through it all, the banking world is still painting a picture of an economy that hasn’t cracked yet.
    Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • He has already been taken down 12 times, eight over the past three games.
    Tim Graham, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • While a Facebook group for ICE sightings in Chicago does appear to have been taken down, as of Tuesday evening, dozens of other groups, some with thousands of members, remained visible on Facebook.
    Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Kathya still tears up talking about Katy’s ordeal, the slow road to recovery and how their lives were shattered that evening, a day that had begun with joy, a celebration with her best friends, many of whom grew up on the waterways in Coral Gables and Coconut Grove.
    David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
  • When a prosperous farming family was murdered in their own home in cold blood for no reason at all by two young male ex-cons, the image of a neat, safe, mid-20th century rural American life was shattered.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Broken-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken-down. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

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