Break Down (Verb)
Meaning 1
Make a mathematical, chemical, or grammatical analysis of; break down into components or essential features; "analyze a specimen"; "analyze a sentence"; "analyze a chemical compound".
Classification
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting.
Examples
- The team of researchers would break down the complex data into smaller, more manageable pieces to analyze its components.
- To understand the poem's deeper meaning, the literature professor would break down each line and examine its individual elements.
- Scientists usually break down a DNA molecule into its constituent base pairs and study their arrangement.
- The linguist would break down the sentence into its constituent parts of speech to illustrate its grammatical structure.
- Chemists break down a compound into its individual elements to determine its chemical composition.
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Meaning 2
Stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The remote control for the air conditioner broke down and we couldn't adjust the temperature.
- Her grandma's old computer broke down due to years of usage and heavy files.
- The production line broke down during a critical moment and caused huge losses.
- My new smartphone broke down after being submerged in water for a few minutes.
- The old truck broke down in the middle of the highway causing massive traffic congestion.
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Meaning 3
Collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack.
Classification
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care.
Examples
- The famous musician was hospitalized after she broke down on stage, exhausted from a grueling tour schedule.
- After weeks of stress at work, John broke down in tears in front of his colleagues.
- Years of working non-stop eventually took its toll on Sarah, who broke down from a severe case of burnout.
- She broke down in the middle of the marathon, unable to continue due to dehydration and muscle cramps.
- The CEO broke down during his speech at the awards ceremony, overcome with emotion as he accepted the honor for his late father.
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Meaning 4
Make ineffective; "Martin Luther King tried to break down racial discrimination".
Classification
Verbs of fighting, athletic activities.
Examples
- The government implemented policies to break down the barriers hindering women's participation in the workforce.
- Her mission was to break down the stereotype that artists are only starving and tortured souls.
- The activists worked tirelessly to break down the resistance from conservative groups opposing their cause.
- Scientists are trying to break down the complexities of the newly discovered virus to develop a vaccine.
- The documentary filmmaker aimed to break down the propaganda machine that manipulated public opinion on war.
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Meaning 5
Cause to fall or collapse.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The prolonged drought caused the crops to break down and wither away.
- The walls of the historic building started to break down due to the intense earthquake.
- His mental state began to break down under the pressure of the job.
- Years of neglect had caused the old shed to break down, and it was on the verge of collapse.
- Overloading the moving truck caused one of its axles to break down the day before the move.
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Meaning 6
Fall apart; "the building crumbled after the explosion"; "Negotiations broke down".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- The strained relationship between the couple finally started to break down after months of silence.
- Negotiations for the merger broke down due to a disagreement over financial terms.
- Years of wear and tear eventually caused the old bicycle to break down and become unusable.
- The young athlete's body began to break down from years of intense competition and lack of rest.
- Their communication broke down as the language barrier became increasingly insurmountable.
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Meaning 7
Lose control of one's emotions; "When she heard that she had not passed the exam, she lost it completely"; "When her baby died, she snapped".
Classification
Verbs of feeling.
Examples
- She tried to hold it together, but when the judge announced the guilty verdict, she began to break down.
- As the news of his father's passing spread, the young boy struggled to come to terms with the loss and eventually break down.
- At the hospital, she watched as her mother took her last breath and then break down in a fit of uncontrollable sobbing.
- The devastating loss of her puppy was more than she could handle and she break down into hysterical tears.
- When she discovered the shocking truth about her cheating boyfriend, she break down in sobs and refused to speak to anyone.
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Meaning 8
Separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts.
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The enzyme helps to break down proteins into smaller peptides and amino acids.
- Microorganisms in the soil break down organic matter into nutrients that plants can use.
- Chemical reactions can break down toxic compounds into harmless substances.
- Heat can break down some plastics into their component polymers.
- The bacteria in the gut break down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars that can be easily absorbed.