Meaning of break down in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    US accent

    UK accent

  1. Verb

    break down

    Definitions

    1. make a mathematical, chemical, or grammatical analysis of

    Examples

    • « break down into components or essential features »
    • « analyze a specimen »
    • « analyze a sentence »
    • « analyze a chemical compound »

    Antonyms

    Derived terms

  2. 2. make ineffective

    Examples

    • « Martin Luther King tried to break down racial discrimination »

    Derived terms

  3. 3. lose control of one's emotions

    Examples

    • « When she heard that she had not passed the exam, she lost it completely »
    • « When her baby died, she snapped »

    Derived terms

  4. 4. stop operating or functioning

    Examples

    • « The engine finally went »
    • « The car died on the road »
    • « The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town »
    • « The coffee maker broke »
    • « The engine failed on the way to town »
    • « her eyesight went after the accident »

    Derived terms

  5. 5. separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts

    Derived terms

  6. 6. fall apart

    Examples

    • « the building crimbled after the explosion »
    • « Negociations broke down »
  7. 7. cause to fall or collapse
  8. 8. collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack

    Derived terms

Famous quotes

  • « People break down after a couple of hours. All the defenses go down, and there's a kind of communication that if I spent 20 years in a living room with one of these people, I would never, never know as much about them as I do in that one day. »
    Lee Grant
  • « If you do not accuse each other, God will not accuse you. If you have no accuser you will enter heaven. What many people call sin is not sin I do many things to break down superstition, and I will break it down. »
    Joseph Smith, Jr.
  • « I think what I do differently from a lot of TV chefs is that I break down barriers and make fine food more accessible to the regular person, who might be intimidated. I try hard, particularly with wine, to make it not intimidating. It's sort of a teaching job. »
    Ted Allen
  • « My father instilled in me the attitude of prevailing. If there's a challenge, go for it. If there's a wall to break down, break it down. »
    Donny Osmond
  • « In our society, the women who break down barriers are those who ignore limits. »
    Arnold Schwarzenegger

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