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
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Recent Examples of broken-down
Jen Guadarrama,
IndyStar,
27 Jan. 2026
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
Jim Defede,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
Yes, in a very analytical way, it’s broken down into beats, sections.
—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
Some guys got kind of broken down from it.
—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
Every player on the club’s books is broken down as fee amortisation, plus wages, per year, and the No 9 boils down to something like a £20million-plus signing in their eyes.
—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Elsewhere Ritchie summarizes like an AI overview, with generic phases of the extraction plan, endlessly rehearsed in montages, broken down on screen, in large-font lists.
—
Michael Phillips,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Other screens show muscle and fat broken down by body part in both a chart and a full-body diagram.
—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
Asphalt is broken down on both sides of the road.
—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
Estimates broken down by city are expected to be released in May.
—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Captain Ron Galaviz, the agency's chief public information officer, reported that there were 632 stuck or broken-down cars, 327 slide-offs and 423 car crashes.
—
Jen Guadarrama,
IndyStar,
27 Jan. 2026
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
As Alligator Alcatraz is broken down in the coming days, there is still a concern about who is going to pay for it.
—
Jim Defede,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
Yes, in a very analytical way, it’s broken down into beats, sections.
—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
Some guys got kind of broken down from it.
—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
Every player on the club’s books is broken down as fee amortisation, plus wages, per year, and the No 9 boils down to something like a £20million-plus signing in their eyes.
—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Elsewhere Ritchie summarizes like an AI overview, with generic phases of the extraction plan, endlessly rehearsed in montages, broken down on screen, in large-font lists.
—
Michael Phillips,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Other screens show muscle and fat broken down by body part in both a chart and a full-body diagram.
—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
Asphalt is broken down on both sides of the road.
—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
Estimates broken down by city are expected to be released in May.
—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken-down
Adjective
-
The Reflecting Pool has been a pet project of the president, who, before renovations got underway this spring, characterized it as dilapidated and dirty and said previous presidents had neglected it.
-
Unable to pay rent, the boys moved several hours away to the small, dilapidated house with the leaky roof where rent is minimal.
Verb
-
As the aircraft approached Atlantic City, a portion of one of the main rotor blades separated, the NTSB report showed, tearing the transmission and rotor apart and sending the helicopter crashing onto the Garden State Parkway.
-
Watching Bryce Dettloff and Trinity Tatum pine for each other while separated by Casa Amor and realize their feelings for each other while unable to talk was sincerely romantic.
Verb
-
Remains of dogs too decomposed to be recovered were also found in the same field, the sheriff's office said.
-
Every project should be decomposed into tasks, with explicit categorization of which are human, AI or hybrid.
Verb
-
Kirkmeyer has campaigned on affordability and safety issues, Bottoms is pushing for a redo of the state's education system among other things and Marx wants to cut regulations and lower the cost of living.
-
Terrell Carstens, a 25-year resident of Brookhaven, said she is frustrated the city made little effort to find places to cut costs instead of raising the rate.
Verb
-
Development of the facility stalled after the economy crashed in 2008, Mette said.
-
The four people who were killed when an Amtrak train crashed into a dump truck Monday in rural mid-Missouri have been identified.
Verb
-
In the month since the crisis, residents in the surrounding area have continued to voice their displeasure with GKN Aerospace and the risk placed outside of their homes after the tank cracked.
-
The concrete is cracked from decades of Delta heat and the weight of cars parked on top of it.
Verb
-
On the same day that their home listing was taken down, Cole took to TikTok to respond to speculation about the timing.
-
On the first, the Napoli star was taken down by multiple defenders inside the box, leaving him again looking in exasperation at referee Ilgiz Tantashev.
Verb
-
Carelessness and accidents happen, however, so take some time with each season to go through items and toss anything that’s faded, shattered, or stopped working.
-
His remaining leg was shattered.
Cite this Entry
“Broken-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken-down. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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