break down Meaning, Definition & Usage

1. verb make ineffective
   crush.
   
   • Martin Luther King tried to break down racial discrimination
2. verb make a mathematical, chemical, or grammatical analysis of; break down into components or essential features
   take apart; dissect; analyze; analyse.
   
   • analyze a specimen
   • analyze a sentence
   • analyze a chemical compound
3. verb lose control of one's emotions
   snap; lose it.
   
   • When she heard that she had not passed the exam, she lost it completely
   • When her baby died, she snapped
4. verb stop operating or functioning
   die; give out; give way; break; go; go bad; conk out; fail.
   
   • 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
5. verb fall apart
   collapse; tumble; crumple; crumble.
   
   • the building crumbled after the explosion
   • Negotiations broke down
6. verb cause to fall or collapse
   
7. verb separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts
   decompose; break up.
   
8. verb collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack
   collapse.
   

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