BREAK DOWN Synonyms: 306 Similar and Opposite Words

break down 1 of 2

verb

as in to classify

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

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Relevance

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as in to decompose

to go through decomposition the enamel of a human tooth will begin to break down when exposed to sugar for too long

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as in to analyze

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

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as in to die

to stop functioning the computer finally broke down and had to be replaced

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start (up)

as in to crack

to yield to mental or emotional stress began to break down when he realized that he was on the verge of bankruptcy

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as in to take down

to take apart the crew was breaking down the party tent when we arrived

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as in to shatter

to cause to break with violence and much noise firefighters had to break down the wall to rescue the kitten

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breakdown

2 of 2

noun

ˈbrāk-ˌdau̇n

as in nervous breakdown

a mental or nervous collapse if you don't ease your workload, you're going to have a breakdown

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as in decomposition

the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances the breakdown of the body was arrested by the embalming process

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as in analysis

the separation and identification of the parts of a whole the boss wanted a detailed breakdown of the sales figures

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of break down

Verb

Try it for breaking down long articles, contracts or reports into takeaways. —

Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2025 The union called for the votes after contract negotiations broke down and its contracts with King Soopers expired Jan. 17. —

Judith Kohler, The Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2025

Noun

The teams will certainly have their work cut out for them, according to a breakdown of the second-quarter earnings. —

Kathryn Hopkins, WWD, 4 Feb. 2025 Take a look at CNBC Pro’s breakdown of what’s expected from this week’s key reports. —

Fred Imbert, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for break down

Recent Examples of Synonyms for break down

Verb

The international community views Syrian civil society organizations more favorably than the caretaker government, whose leaders were classified as terrorists in many countries until recently.

— Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
Nearly three-quarters of all Northeast snowstorms classified as Category 3 or higher on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale, or NESIS, from 1956 to 2022 took place in late January or early February, according to statistics from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

— Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025