1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to die
to stop functioning
the computer finally broke down and had to be replaced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in to take down
to take apart
the crew was breaking down the party tent when we arrived
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in to shatter
to cause to break with violence and much noise
firefighters had to break down the wall to rescue the kitten
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in analysis
the separation and identification of the parts of a whole
the boss wanted a detailed breakdown of the sales figures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break down
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
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 
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
-
An atomic wedgie is classified as one in which a person's underwear is pulled above the victim's head or higher.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
31 Jan. 2025
-
The movement was classified by periodic pulses, or bursts of mobility that lasted for one to two hours.—
Julianna Bragg,
CNN,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The bodies had already begun to decompose, suggesting that the people had died some time before they were discovered.—
Sheldon H. Jacobson,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jan. 2025
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Ordinarily, plants exposed to a fire’s heat begin to decompose and become fuel, but Phos-Chek acts as a coating, creating a barrier that consumes the heat energy.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC News,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Roughly 4 million people, or 2.5% of U.S. workers, were tipped in 2023, according to Yale University’s Budget Lab, a nonpartisan policy research center that analyzes federal policy proposals regarding the U.S. economy.—
Bailey Schulz,
USA TODAY,
7 Feb. 2025
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This article was generated by the Kansas City Star Bot, artificial intelligence software that analyzes structured information from TomTom and applies it to templates created by journalists in the newsroom.—
Kansas City Star Bot,
Kansas City Star,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In 1895, a year after Catherine was born, Pauline died, sending the family into a tailspin.—
Mara Bovsun,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2025
-
Actors get a lot of a lot of praise and all that; shows’ success live or die with the crew.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But once the cowboys are done rifling through Pierre’s luggage, packed to the brim with wine, bread, cheese, and French fries, Slim decides to crack out the Budweiser and let the Parisian stay.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 Jan. 2025
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Also worth nothing, Prime Video’s Beast Games cracked the streaming originals Top 10 with 398M viewing minutes, as did Apple’s Silo with 417M. See more below.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Old carpet was ripped up, funky wallpaper was taken down.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
28 Jan. 2025
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The César academy has already taken down its X account but continues to post on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The loss is just beyond description and my heart is shattered.—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
31 Jan. 2025
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In the book his sense of complacency as a middle-class Jewish American is shattered by the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 and the resurgence of the far right.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
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In 2019, essayist Sarah Chihaya had a nervous breakdown that coincided with a bout of the titular anxiety disorder, which causes someone to have an intense and irrational fear of books and writing.—
Shannon Carlin,
TIME,
31 Jan. 2025
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The film has a few major plot holes, mostly concerning the present-tense family meal where Lucas seems to be having a nervous breakdown.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near break down
Cite this Entry
“Break down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20down. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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