breakdown

noun
UK: /ˈbreɪkdaʊn/
US: /ˈbreɪkdaʊn/

  1. A failure; when something stops working.

    1. My car had a breakdown on the highway. [ ] [ ]
    2. The breakdown of negotiations means the strike will continue indefinitely. [ ] [ ]

  2. A collapse in someone's mental or physical health.

    1. She had a breakdown after losing her job. [ ] [ ]
    2. His doctor told him to reduce stress to prevent another breakdown. [ ] [ ]

  3. A detailed analysis of something.

    1. Here's a breakdown of the project costs. [ ] [ ]
    2. The accountant provided a breakdown of all business expenses for the year. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

failure collapse analysis meltdown malfunction
breakdown intransitive-verb

  1. To stop working or functioning correctly.

    1. The printer broke down again today. [ ] [ ]
    2. Their car broke down miles from the nearest town causing significant delays. [ ] [ ]

  2. To lose control of your emotions and be unable to cope with a situation.

    1. She broke down in tears after hearing the news. [ ] [ ]
    2. He broke down under the pressure of his demanding workload recently. [ ] [ ]

  3. To separate into smaller parts to analyze.

    1. Let's break down the problem into smaller tasks. [ ] [ ]
    2. The analyst broke down the complex data into easily understandable components. [ ] [ ]
breakdown transitive-verb

  1. To destroy, remove, or separate into component parts.

    1. Enzymes break down food in the stomach. [ ] [ ]
    2. The company decided to break down the large corporation into smaller units. [ ] [ ]
breakdown adjective

  1. Separate, or in pieces

    1. We found the bicycle breakdown on the sidewalk [ ] [ ]
    2. The police found the motorcycle breakdown at the crime scene [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "breakdown" in English means: A failure; when something stops working., A collapse in someone's mental or physical health., A detailed analysis of something..

The phonetic transcription of "breakdown" is /ˈbreɪkdaʊn/ in British English and /ˈbreɪkdaʊn/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "breakdown": failure, collapse, analysis, meltdown, malfunction.

Example usage of "breakdown": "My car had a breakdown on the highway.". More examples on the page.