break down 1 of 2

verb

Definition of break downnext
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

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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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to die
to stop functioning the computer finally broke down and had to be replaced

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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

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6
as in to take down
to take apart the crew was breaking down the party tent when we arrived

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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

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breakdown

2 of 2

noun

ˈbrāk-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce breakdown (audio)
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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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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3
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word break down distinct from other similar verbs?

The words analyze and dissect are common synonyms of break down. While all three words mean "to divide a complex whole into its parts or elements," break down implies a reducing to simpler parts or divisions.

break down the budget

When is it sensible to use analyze instead of break down?

Although the words analyze and break down have much in common, analyze suggests separating or distinguishing the component parts of something (such as a substance, a process, a situation) so as to discover its true nature or inner relationships.

analyzed the collected data

When could dissect be used to replace break down?

While in some cases nearly identical to break down, dissect suggests a searching analysis by laying bare parts or pieces for individual scrutiny.

commentators dissected every word of the speech

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of break down
Verb
That conjecture could be broken down into two separate problems. — Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026 Trade talks between the US and Canada broke down last week, leading to a wave of tariffs and retaliatory tariffs. — ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Noun
No serious person is that concerned about the racial breakdown of the people breaking down NFL games. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The film is a techno-horror about a group of young people in Tokyo who begin to experience strange phenomena involving missing co-workers and friends, technological breakdown, and a mysterious website. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for break down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break down
  1. classify
  2. decompose
  3. analyze
  4. die
  5. crack
  6. take down
  7. shatter
  8. nervous breakdown
Verb
  • Back then, Pluto was classified as a full planet, but the discovery of 1992 QB-1, as well as Kuiper Belt objects even larger than Pluto found later, raised questions about Pluto's status.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • In some cases, LinkedIn says views of content classified as AI spam have decreased by as much as 40 percent.
    — Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of classify
Verb
  • Van der Heijden’s team reported that the fastest decomposing underwear was buried in residential gardens.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Determining the causes of death was complicated by how decomposed the bodies were, the medical examiner’s office said.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of decompose
Verb
  • As of July 11, 70% of the nearly 66,000 people in ICE custody had no criminal conviction, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which analyzes federal immigration data.
    — María Luisa Paúl, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The average wage is determined by analyzing 20 fire departments to be chosen by the Department of Human Resources and the firefighter union, Cal Fire Local 1881.
    — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of analyze
Verb
  • Last month, the family of Christopher Hawley, who died after a ride in 2022, reached a settlement with the park and with ride manufacturer S&S Worldwide Inc, said KTLA.
    — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Knight was wounded but survived the attack, while Shakur was struck multiple times and died six days later at age 25.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of die
Verb
  • By taking stem cells from a host’s own body and encouraging them to differentiate before mixing them with a commercially available, soluble matrix gel, researchers may have cracked the most critical problems in the transplant process.
    — Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • After sitting undisturbed even as a few shots passed close to them, one flew for its life — just as Medvedev cracked a forehand crosscourt that Gorzny could only send into the net.
    — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of crack
Verb
  • Before it was taken down, the shadowy dark web service called Nexus allowed virtually anybody to peruse identity documents of over 170 million people in the US and Canada.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The video was taken down a day later following the backlash over the ad.
    — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of take down
Verb
  • As dark occurrences begin to shatter the quiet of their isolated home, the boy is forced to navigate a harrowing psychological nightmare where the line between real-world madness and supernatural terror blurs.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Both Russia and China have tested missiles that destroy satellites; a Russian test in 2021 shattered an inactive satellite into more than a thousand pieces.
    — Jeffrey Lewis, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of shatter
Noun
  • After an idealistic youth and a subsequent nervous breakdown, our eldest Ramona, Ramona Jover, eventually finds strength in resignation to what a woman born in the 1800s can ever do or be.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Embodied by Maradona, successive Argentinean national teams played with flair and toughness and an element of chaos, often on the edge of nervous breakdown.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 16 July 2026
Definition of nervous breakdown

Phrases Containing break down

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break bread
break down
breakdown
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Cite this Entry

“Break down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20down. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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