break down
verb
- break down: become damaged, cease to operate
- break down: start to cry; reach the mental breaking point and suffer the effects
- separate into manageable sections for analysis/explanation
Wiktionary
noun
- Alternative form of breakdown.
verb
- To stop functioning.
“I am afraid my computer will break down if I try to run it at too high a speed.”
“"We love our little diesel trains. They potter up and down. They break down. The C6 overhaul is only a temporary answer. By the time they are replaced, they will be 45 years old.”
- To unexpectedly collapse, physically or in structure.
- To intentionally demolish; to pull down.
- To fail, especially socially or for political reasons.
“Talks broke down between Prime Minister John Doe and the opposition party.”
“Relations broke down between Greece and Turkey.”
- To give in or give up: relent, concede, surrender.
“Is it worth taking it to a repair shop, or should I just break down and buy a new one?”
- To render or to become unstable due to stress, to collapse physically or mentally.
“Near-synonym: come undone”
“She is back to work now, after she broke down the other day.”
- To render or to become weak and ineffective.
“His authority and influence over his coordinates broke down gradually.”
“Hodgson's approach may not illuminate proceedings in Poland and Ukraine but early evidence suggests they will be tough to break down.”
- To (cause to) decay, to decompose.
“Leaves and grass will break down into compost faster if you keep them moist.”
- To separate into a number of parts.
“Near-synonyms: break apart, break up, take apart, tear down, tear up”
“The goods station is a transhipment centre (centre de transbordement) at which loads made up at other centres are broken down and redespatched to destinations in the area.”
- To divide into parts to give more details, to provide a more indepth analysis of.
“Near-synonym: analyze”
“If you don't understand, ask him to break down the numbers for you.”
- To digest.
“Near-synonym: catabolize”
“His stomach took a while to break down his food.”
- Bust down or bust a move; the act of performing energetic, often freestyle or hip-hop moves, frequently during a song’s instrumental break where only drums or bass are playing; see breakdown (music).