Trends of
break down

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break down

1. phrasal verb

If a machine or a vehicle breaks down, it stops working.

Their car broke down. [VERB PARTICLE]

2. phrasal verb

If a discussion, relationship, or system breaks down, it fails because of a problem or disagreement.

Talks with business leaders broke down last night. [VERB PARTICLE]

Paola's marriage broke down. [VERB PARTICLE]

3. phrasal verb

To break down something such as an idea or statement means to separate it into smaller parts in order to make it easier to understand or deal with.

The report breaks down the results region by region. [VERB PARTICLE noun]

These rules tell us how a sentence is broken down into phrases. [be V-ed P + into]

[Also V n P + into]

4. phrasal verb

When a substance breaks down or when something breaks it down, a biological or chemical process causes it to separate into the substances which make it up.

Over time, the protein in the eggshell breaks down into its constituent amino acids. [VERB PARTICLE]

The oil is attacked by naturally occurring microbes which break it down. [VERB noun PARTICLE]

[Also VERB PARTICLE noun]

5. phrasal verb

If someone breaks down, they lose control of themselves and start crying.

Because he was being so kind and concerned, I broke down and cried. [VERB PARTICLE]

The young woman broke down in tears. [VERB PARTICLE]

6. phrasal verb

If you break down a door or barrier, you hit it so hard that it falls to the ground.

An unruly mob broke down police barricades and stormed the courtroom. [VERB PARTICLE noun]

Firefighters were called after his father failed to break the door down. [VERB noun PARTICLE]

7. phrasal verb

To break down barriers or prejudices that separate people or restrict their freedom means to change people's attitudes so that the barriers or prejudices no longer exist.

[approval]

His early experience enabled him to break down barriers between Scottish Catholicsand Protestants. [VERB PARTICLE noun]

[Also VERB noun PARTICLE]

8. See also breakdown, broken-down

More Synonyms of break down

See full dictionary entry for break

break down in British English

verb (adverb)

1. (intransitive)

to cease to function; become ineffective

communications had broken down

to yield or cause to yield, esp to strong emotion or tears

she broke down in anguish

3. (transitive)

to crush or destroy

4. (intransitive)

to have a nervous breakdown

to analyse or be subjected to analysis

to separate or cause to separate into simpler chemical elements; decompose

7. (transitive) New Zealand

to saw (a large log) into planks

8. break it down

noun breakdown

an act or instance of breaking down; collapse

10. short for nervous breakdown

11.

an analysis or classification of something into its component parts

he prepared a breakdown of the report

12.

the sudden electrical discharge through an insulator or between two electrodes in a vacuum or gas discharge tube

13. electrical engineering

the sudden transition, dependent on the bias magnitude, from a high to a low dynamic resistance in a semiconductor device

14. rugby union

the period of play immediately after a tackle and before the formation of a ruck

15.

a lively American country dance

break down in American English

to go out of working order

to give way to tears or emotion

to have a physical or nervous collapse

to crush or overcome (opposition, etc.)

to separate into parts; analyze

See full dictionary entry for break

Examples of 'break down' in a sentence
break down

Should Manfred ever break down in the wilderness he would always have a ready supply of kindling to hand for a warming campfire.In crime novels, the cops have a couple of suspects and then break down the door and arrest one.Luther watched him a minute to see if he would break down, but he was resolute.She'd sometimes heard people say that without magic the underground would break down forever.

In other languages
break down

British English: break down /breɪk daʊn/ VERB

If a machine or a vehicle breaks down, it stops working.

Their car broke down.

American English: break down
Arabic: يَتَعَطَّل
Brazilian Portuguese: falhar
Chinese: 坏掉了
Croatian: pokvariti se
Czech: porouchat se
Danish: bryde sammen
Dutch: kapot gaan
European Spanish: averiarse
Finnish: hajota
French: tomber en panne
German: kaputtgehen
Greek: παθαίνω βλάβη
Italian: guastarsi
Japanese: 故障する
Korean: 고장 나다
Norwegian: bryte sammen
Polish: zepsuć się
European Portuguese: falhar
Romanian: a se strica
Russian: ломать
Latin American Spanish: averiarse
Swedish: bryta samman
Thai: ใช้งานไม่ได้
Turkish: bozulmak
Ukrainian: ламатися
Vietnamese: hỏng

Chinese translation of 'break down'

break down

vi

[machine, car] 坏(壞)掉 (huàidiào)
(Chem) 分解 (fēnjiě)
[person] 情绪(緒)失控 (qíngxù shīkòng)
[talks] 破裂 (pòliè)

vt

[figures, data] 把 ... 分类(類) (bǎ ... fēnlèi)
[door etc] 捣(搗)毁(毀) (dǎohuǐ)
(Chem) 分解 (fēnjiě)
(fig) [barriers, prejudices] 解除 (jiěchú)

See break

All related terms of 'break down'

1 (phrasal verb) in the sense of stop working

Definition

to cease to function

Their car broke down.

Synonyms

stop working

stop

give out

pack up (British, informal)

Our car packed up.

have had it

seize up

cease to function

conk out (informal)

go on the blink

go kaput (informal)

go phut

die

The engine coughed, spluttered, and died.

cark it (Australian, New Zealand, slang)

2 (phrasal verb) in the sense of fail

Their partnership broke down after too many disagreements.

Synonyms

fail

He was afraid the revolution they had started would fail.

collapse

His business empire collapsed under a massive burden of debt.

fall through

The deal fell through.

be unsuccessful

come unstuck

run aground

come to grief

So many marriages have come to grief over lack of money.

come a cropper (informal)

turn out badly

3 (phrasal verb) in the sense of be overcome

Definition

to give way to strong emotion or tears

The young man broke down and cried.

Synonyms

be overcome

lose control

crack up (informal)

He's going to crack up if he doesn't take a break soon.

lose it (informal)

go to pieces

See break

Additional synonyms

in the sense of collapse

Definition

to fail completely

His business empire collapsed under a massive burden of debt.

Synonyms

fail,

fold,

founder,

break down,

fall through,

come to nothing,

go belly-up (informal)

in the sense of come to grief

Definition

to have an unfortunate or unsuccessful end or outcome

So many marriages have come to grief over lack of money.

Synonyms

fail,

founder,

break down,

come unstuck,

miscarry,

fall flat on your face,

meet with disaster

in the sense of crack up

Definition

to have a physical or mental breakdown

He's going to crack up if he doesn't take a break soon.

Synonyms

have a breakdown,

collapse,

break down,

go crazy (informal),

go berserk,

freak out (informal),

go to pieces,

go ape (slang),

fly off the handle (informal),

come apart at the seams (informal),

throw a wobbly (slang),

go off the deep end (informal),

go apeshit (slang),

go out of your mind,

flip your lid (slang),

go off your rocker (slang),

go off your head (slang)

Nearby words of
break down

breadth
break
break away
break down
break faith with someone
break free of something or someone
break in

单词	break down
释义	Trends of break down View usage for: break down 1. phrasal verb If a machine or a vehicle breaks down, it stops working. Their car broke down. [VERB PARTICLE] 2. phrasal verb If a discussion, relationship, or system breaks down, it fails because of a problem or disagreement. Talks with business leaders broke down last night. [VERB PARTICLE] Paola's marriage broke down. [VERB PARTICLE] 3. phrasal verb To break down something such as an idea or statement means to separate it into smaller parts in order to make it easier to understand or deal with. The report breaks down the results region by region. [VERB PARTICLE noun] These rules tell us how a sentence is broken down into phrases. [be V-ed P + into] [Also V n P + into] 4. phrasal verb When a substance breaks down or when something breaks it down, a biological or chemical process causes it to separate into the substances which make it up. Over time, the protein in the eggshell breaks down into its constituent amino acids. [VERB PARTICLE] The oil is attacked by naturally occurring microbes which break it down. [VERB noun PARTICLE] [Also VERB PARTICLE noun] 5. phrasal verb If someone breaks down, they lose control of themselves and start crying. Because he was being so kind and concerned, I broke down and cried. [VERB PARTICLE] The young woman broke down in tears. [VERB PARTICLE] 6. phrasal verb If you break down a door or barrier, you hit it so hard that it falls to the ground. An unruly mob broke down police barricades and stormed the courtroom. [VERB PARTICLE noun] Firefighters were called after his father failed to break the door down. [VERB noun PARTICLE] 7. phrasal verb To break down barriers or prejudices that separate people or restrict their freedom means to change people's attitudes so that the barriers or prejudices no longer exist. [approval] His early experience enabled him to break down barriers between Scottish Catholicsand Protestants. [VERB PARTICLE noun] [Also VERB noun PARTICLE] 8. See also breakdown, broken-down More Synonyms of break down See full dictionary entry for break break down in British English verb (adverb) 1. (intransitive) to cease to function; become ineffective communications had broken down 2. to yield or cause to yield, esp to strong emotion or tears she broke down in anguish 3. (transitive) to crush or destroy 4. (intransitive) to have a nervous breakdown 5. to analyse or be subjected to analysis 6. to separate or cause to separate into simpler chemical elements; decompose 7. (transitive) New Zealand to saw (a large log) into planks 8. break it down noun breakdown 9. an act or instance of breaking down; collapse 10. short for nervous breakdown 11. an analysis or classification of something into its component parts he prepared a breakdown of the report 12. the sudden electrical discharge through an insulator or between two electrodes in a vacuum or gas discharge tube 13. electrical engineering the sudden transition, dependent on the bias magnitude, from a high to a low dynamic resistance in a semiconductor device 14. rugby union the period of play immediately after a tackle and before the formation of a ruck 15. a lively American country dance break down in American English 1. to go out of working order 2. to give way to tears or emotion 3. to have a physical or nervous collapse 4. to crush or overcome (opposition, etc.) 5. to separate into parts; analyze See full dictionary entry for break Examples of 'break down' in a sentence break down Should Manfred ever break down in the wilderness he would always have a ready supply of kindling to hand for a warming campfire. Mark Mills AMAGANSETT (2004) In crime novels, the cops have a couple of suspects and then break down the door and arrest one. Anita Anderson SUMMER OF SECRETS (2003) Luther watched him a minute to see if he would break down, but he was resolute. McCorquodale, Robin DANSVILLE She'd sometimes heard people say that without magic the underground would break down forever. various In other languages break down British English: break down /breɪk daʊn/ VERB If a machine or a vehicle breaks down, it stops working. Their car broke down. American English: break down Arabic: يَتَعَطَّل Brazilian Portuguese: falhar Chinese: 坏掉了 Croatian: pokvariti se Czech: porouchat se Danish: bryde sammen Dutch: kapot gaan European Spanish: averiarse Finnish: hajota French: tomber en panne German: kaputtgehen Greek: παθαίνω βλάβη Italian: guastarsi Japanese: 故障する Korean: 고장 나다 Norwegian: bryte sammen Polish: zepsuć się European Portuguese: falhar Romanian: a se strica Russian: ломать Latin American Spanish: averiarse Swedish: bryta samman Thai: ใช้งานไม่ได้ Turkish: bozulmak Ukrainian: ламатися Vietnamese: hỏng Chinese translation of 'break down' break down vi [machine, car] 坏(壞)掉 (huàidiào) (Chem) 分解 (fēnjiě) [person] 情绪(緒)失控 (qíngxù shīkòng) [talks] 破裂 (pòliè) vt [figures, data] 把 ... 分类(類) (bǎ ... fēnlèi) [door etc] 捣(搗)毁(毀) (dǎohuǐ) (Chem) 分解 (fēnjiě) (fig) [barriers, prejudices] 解除 (jiěchú) See break All related terms of 'break down' break up ( ship ) 碎裂 suìliè break through ( sun ) 显(顯)现(現) xiǎnxiàn break out ( begin : war, fight ) 爆发(發) bàofā break open ( door, window etc ) 用力打开(開) yònglì dǎkāi break off ( branch ) 折断(斷) zhéduàn break into ( house ) 强(強)行进(進)入 qiángxíng jìnrù break in ( burglar ) 破门(門)而入 pòmén ér rù break away ( from pursuer etc ) 逃脱(脫) táotuō 1 (phrasal verb) in the sense of stop working Definition to cease to function Their car broke down. Synonyms stop working stop give out pack up (British, informal) Our car packed up. have had it seize up cease to function conk out (informal) go on the blink go kaput (informal) go phut die The engine coughed, spluttered, and died. cark it (Australian, New Zealand, slang) 2 (phrasal verb) in the sense of fail Their partnership broke down after too many disagreements. Synonyms fail He was afraid the revolution they had started would fail. collapse His business empire collapsed under a massive burden of debt. fall through The deal fell through. be unsuccessful come unstuck run aground come to grief So many marriages have come to grief over lack of money. come a cropper (informal) turn out badly 3 (phrasal verb) in the sense of be overcome Definition to give way to strong emotion or tears The young man broke down and cried. Synonyms be overcome lose control crack up (informal) He's going to crack up if he doesn't take a break soon. lose it (informal) go to pieces See break Additional synonyms in the sense of collapse Definition to fail completely His business empire collapsed under a massive burden of debt. Synonyms fail, fold, founder, break down, fall through, come to nothing, go belly-up (informal) in the sense of come to grief Definition to have an unfortunate or unsuccessful end or outcome So many marriages have come to grief over lack of money. Synonyms fail, founder, break down, come unstuck, miscarry, fall flat on your face, meet with disaster in the sense of crack up Definition to have a physical or mental breakdown He's going to crack up if he doesn't take a break soon. Synonyms have a breakdown, collapse, break down, go crazy (informal), go berserk, freak out (informal), go to pieces, go ape (slang), fly off the handle (informal), come apart at the seams (informal), throw a wobbly (slang), go off the deep end (informal), go apeshit (slang), go out of your mind, flip your lid (slang), go off your rocker (slang), go off your head (slang) Nearby words of break down breadth break break away break down break faith with someone break free of something or someone break in Related terms of break down break something down Synonyms of 'break down' break down Explore 'break down' in the dictionary
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Trends ofbreak down

break down

break down in British English

break down in American English

Examples of 'break down' in a sentencebreak down

In other languagesbreak down

Chinese translation of 'break down'

break down

vi

vt

All related terms of 'break down'

Additional synonyms

Nearby words ofbreak down

Related terms ofbreak down

Synonyms of 'break down'

break down

Trends of
break down

Examples of 'break down' in a sentence
break down

In other languages
break down

Nearby words of
break down

Related terms of
break down