Breakdown (Noun)

Meaning ¹

A cessation of normal operation; "there was a power breakdown".

Classification

Nouns denoting natural events.

Examples

• The company experienced a breakdown in communication that led to a series of mistakes in the project.
• A mechanical breakdown caused the car to stall on the highway.
• The city was crippled by a breakdown in the sanitation services, leaving piles of trash on the streets.
• The researcher analyzed the data to understand the breakdown of the chemical compound.
• A sudden breakdown in the weather forecast system left the TV station scrambling to air important storm updates.

Synonyms

• Equipment Failure

Hyponyms

• Power Failure
• Dud

Related Words

• Break Down (verb)

Meaning ²

An analysis into mutually exclusive categories.

Classification

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents.

Examples

• The breakdown of the survey results into demographic subgroups revealed some surprising trends.
• We conducted a breakdown of the company's expenses into fixed and variable costs to identify areas for reduction.
• The financial analyst provided a detailed breakdown of the investment portfolio into asset classes and risk categories.
• A breakdown of the election results by precinct showed that the candidate performed well in urban areas.
• The marketing team performed a breakdown of customer purchases by product category to inform their targeting strategy.

Synonyms

• Partitioning

Hypernyms

• Analytic Thinking

Hyponyms

• Resolving

Related Words

• Break Down (verb)

Meaning ³

(biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action.

Classification

Nouns denoting natural processes.

Examples

• The compost heap was teeming with microorganisms that facilitated the breakdown of organic matter.
• The breakdown of dead plants and animals in the forest ecosystem recycling nutrients.
• Fungi were responsible for the breakdown of complex cellulose molecules in the decaying wood.
• In the absence of oxygen, the breakdown of glucose occurred through anaerobic respiration.
• The breakdown of proteins by enzymes was a critical step in the digestion of food in the gut.

Synonyms

• Rot
• Decomposition
• Putrefaction
• Rotting

Hypernyms

• Decay

Related Words

• Break Down (verb)

Meaning ⁴

A mental or physical breakdown.

Classification

Nouns denoting natural processes.

Examples

• She suffered a severe mental breakdown after the loss of her loved one and had to seek professional help.
• After years of struggling with stress and anxiety, he finally had a nervous breakdown and was forced to take a break from work.
• The constant pressure of caring for her sick mother led to a physical breakdown, and she ended up in the hospital herself.
• The celebrity's very public breakdown on social media sparked concerns about her well-being and led to a barrage of supportive messages from fans.
• The death of her husband triggered a complete emotional breakdown, and it took her years to come to terms with the loss.

Synonyms

• Crack-up

Hypernyms

• Prostration

Related Words

• Break Down (verb)

Meaning ⁵

The act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue; "the social dislocations resulting from government policies"; "his warning came after the breakdown of talks in London".

Classification

Nouns denoting acts or actions.

Examples

• The protests led to a breakdown in law and order, with rioting and looting spreading throughout the city.
• The company experienced a breakdown in communication between management and employees, leading to a decline in productivity.
• The political analyst attributed the breakdown in diplomatic relations between the two countries to a series of miscalculations by both sides.
• The severe weather caused a breakdown in transportation services, leaving thousands of travelers stranded.
• The study highlighted the breakdown in social cohesion in urban areas, citing high levels of poverty and crime as major factors.

Synonyms

• Dislocation

Hypernyms

• Disruption

Related Words

• Break Down (verb)