break down

From Wiktionary

Verb[change]

Plain form
break down

Third-person singular
breaks down

Past tense
broke down

Past participle
broke down

Present participle
breaking down

Plain form
break down

Third-person singular
breaks down

Past tense
broken down

Past participle
broken down

Present participle
breaking down

  1. (transitive) If something breaks down, it fails, usually having to do with a machine of some kind.
    As Betty was driving, her car broke down in the middle of the road.
  2. (transitive) If something living breaks down, it decays; it decomposes.
  3. (transitive) If someone breaks down, they become unstable, either in their mind or some other way.
  4. (transitive) If information or something else is broken down, it is given in great detail.

Synonyms[change]

See also[change]