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
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
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
-
Earlier this year, Saiz Bilbao arrived at a dilapidated building still under construction, its entrance via a seemingly endless stretch of stairs that led to a window-less hostel.—
Georgiana Ralphs,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Now, charred and dilapidated buildings dot the small city center.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Teller took to heart the classic Greek playwright Aristophanes’ myth of love — that humans were born as a fusion of two bodies and later separated as punishment from the gods, only to spend their lives looking — and longing — for their other half.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Andrew and Fergie married in 1986, separated in 1992, and divorced in 1996, but the two have remained close.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
31 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
-
The veteran coach believes the solution to the problem is to cut some games off the 82-game schedule, a view shared by Cleveland Cavaliers coach (and former Kerr assistant) Kenny Atkinson, who recently advocated for a 72-game season.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The 10-year Treasury yield was little changed Friday following this week’s interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve and the central bank’s more hawkish tone on future policy.—
Sean Conlon,Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Little Rock man who, police say, crashed while fleeing from an Arkansas State Police trooper last week now faces first-degree murder counts in the death of two teenage passengers, authorities said Wednesday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Nov. 2025
-
All passengers and crew members died when two 737 Max jetliners went down less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019 — a Lion Air flight that plunged into the sea off the coast of Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed into a field after taking off from Addis Ababa.—
Jamie Stengle,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Now, Italian researchers have finally cracked the case.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
-
For an unfussy dessert that’s actually meant to be burnt and cracked on the sides, make this cheesecake.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The original video appears to have now been taken down, and Newsweek reached out to the TikTok creator for comment.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The team then sent the cease-and-desist letter, and the ad was subsequently taken down.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The strength to sit with what shattered before building what’s next.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Over the years, he's developed a reputation for flying vintage airplanes, even after suffering a near-death plane crash that left his right ankle and pelvis shattered and his back broken in March 2015.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken-down. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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