break down
verb12 senses
- 1To stop functioning.
- 2To unexpectedly collapse, physically or in structure.
- 3To intentionally demolish; to pull down.
- 4To fail, especially socially or for political reasons.
- 5To give in or give up: relent, concede, surrender.
- 6To render or to become unstable due to stress, to…
- 7To render or to become weak and ineffective.
- 8To (cause to) decay, to decompose.
- 9To separate into a number of parts.
- 10To divide into parts to give more details, to provide a…
- 11To digest.
- 12Bust down or bust a move; the act of performing…
Computer, Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Usually, Of a machine 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.2026 February 18, Paul Clifton, “West of England Line problems laid bare”, in RAIL, number 1055, page 7:
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.
1 more example
- And it all breaks down at the role reversal Got the muse in my head, she's universal Spinning me round, she's coming over me1996, Placebo, “Nancy Boy”:
Idiomatic 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?
Ergative, Figuratively 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.
2 more examples
- Sophia broke down here. Even at this moment she was subconsciously comparing her rendering of the part of the forlorn bride with Miss Marie Lohr's.1921, Ben Travers, A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
- As to Ernest... He is quite as nervously broken down as I am but it manifests itself in different ways. His inclination is towards megalomania and mine towards melancholy.1936 Sept. 15, F. Scott Fitzgerald, letter to Beatrice Dance
Ergative, Figuratively 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.2012 June 2, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Belgium”, in BBC Sport:
Ergative 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.1950 June, N. H. Bousfield, “Angers, a French Provincial Railway Centre”, in Railway Magazine, page 371:
1 more example
- Meetings began in June and shortly after the group of twelve women decided to break-down into two sub groups in order to examine the subject more efficiently.1973 December 29, “Lesbian Questionnaire”, in Gay Community News, volume 1, number 28, page 1:
Ergative, Figuratively 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.
1 more example
- A great example is Blair Imani, an author, historian, and creator whose “Smarter in Seconds” series breaks down socio-political issues into very basic, helpful explanations in less than 60 seconds.2026 March 9, Cyrus Veyssi, “In Defense of Influencers”, in TIME, archived from the original on 14 Mar 2026:
Ergative To digest.
- Near-synonym: catabolize
- His stomach took a while to break down his food.
1 more example
- His food took a while to break down in his stomach.
Informal 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).
- Derived terms
- break-down, breakdown, break down to brass tacks, broken down, broken-down valise, my car has broken down
- Related terms
- break it down