1
as in classified
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition
the enamel of a human tooth will begin to break down when exposed to sugar for too long
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in analyzed
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in died
to stop functioning
the computer finally broke down and had to be replaced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in melted down
to yield to mental or emotional stress
began to break down when he realized that he was on the verge of bankruptcy
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in knocked down
to take apart
the crew was breaking down the party tent when we arrived
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in shattered
to cause to break with violence and much noise
firefighters had to break down the wall to rescue the kitten
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of broke down
Dianna Russini of The Athletic broke down plenty of reports indicating which NFL teams are targeting what position to bolster their rosters.
—
James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Combs got emotional and broke down crying when Kim Porter appeared on the screen.
—Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
Rory McIlroy, who has played for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup in every tournament from 2010 to 2025, previously broke down the significance of the match-up and how a potential prize fund could change the meaning of the tournament.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Galicia Lopez broke down the front door of the residence while the other two men remained outside, prosecutors said.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
Brent Lang, Variety‘s executive editor, also broke down the 2025 summer box office haul, reflecting on the underwhelming overall tally for the crucial frame.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Netanyahu initially said Israel would conquer all of Gaza after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Skenes then broke down why reliever Evan Sisk picked up his first big league victory by pitching a scoreless seventh before the Pirates took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning when Henry Davis dashed home following a wild pitch.
—Will Graves, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2025
In the early 2000s, companies rushed into massive ERP implementations—only to abandon them when workflows broke down.
—Erik Greenstein, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Combs got emotional and broke down crying when Kim Porter appeared on the screen.
—Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
Rory McIlroy, who has played for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup in every tournament from 2010 to 2025, previously broke down the significance of the match-up and how a potential prize fund could change the meaning of the tournament.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Galicia Lopez broke down the front door of the residence while the other two men remained outside, prosecutors said.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
Brent Lang, Variety‘s executive editor, also broke down the 2025 summer box office haul, reflecting on the underwhelming overall tally for the crucial frame.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Netanyahu initially said Israel would conquer all of Gaza after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Skenes then broke down why reliever Evan Sisk picked up his first big league victory by pitching a scoreless seventh before the Pirates took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning when Henry Davis dashed home following a wild pitch.
—Will Graves, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2025
In the early 2000s, companies rushed into massive ERP implementations—only to abandon them when workflows broke down.
—Erik Greenstein, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke down
Verb
-
As of Monday morning, Melissa was classified as a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 160 mph.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Oct. 2025
-
What To Know Last week, Collins asked the court to halt most pending cases, warning that the department will exhaust its funding for that work after October 28 and that the attorneys managing the claims are not classified as essential during the federal shutdown.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The first was that the obstacles were decomposed into cuboids.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Rivas’ cause and manner of death are still being determined by the medical examiner; the exam is taking longer than usual as the remains were severely decomposed.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To prove their point, the researchers analyzed 46 years’ worth of venture-capital startup investments, among other data points.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center analyzed data from more than 1,000 cancer patients with Stage 3 and 4 non-small cell lung cancer and metastatic melanoma who were treated at MD Anderson from 2019 to 2023.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The 19-year-old driver of the SUV, Yaakov Kilberg, and the three 18-year-old passengers — Aharon Lebovits, Shlomo Cohen and Chaim Grossman — all died, the outlets reported.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Despite lifesaving measures, the man died from his injuries, according to Adger.—
Julie Mendes,
AZCentral.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Stolen Louvre loot worth $102 million may be melted down.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Stolen Louvre loot worth $102 million may be melted down.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
An appeals court knocked down the fine in August but otherwise kept the case intact.—
Surina Venkat,
The Hill,
24 Oct. 2025
-
You were knocked down by a bicycle on Columbus Avenue.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The case of Mamulya, a donkey whose hoof was shattered, apparently in a mine explosion, becomes central to the story, emblematic of the assistance the sanctuary receives from within and beyond Ukraine’s borders in order to provide state-of-the-art medical treatments.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
-
But when newspapers shifted from reinforcing social order to documenting disorder in readers’ own communities, audiences responded by distrusting the institution that shattered their comforting myths.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That’s also the last time the Commodores were ranked in the top 10.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
He is currently ranked 22nd in the Schwab Cup standings.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broke down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20down. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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