break down
phrasal verb·6 senses·particle down
Meanings
(of a vehicle or machine)stop working
Why “down”? A structure, a system, or someone's mood can go down when it fails.
“The car broke down on the motorway.”
“The lift broke down again.”
“The office computer broke down just before Maya and Leo's presentation.”
Lose emotional control and start crying
“She broke down at the funeral.”
“He broke down after the call.”
Separate something into smaller parts to understand it
Why “down”? You move from the whole thing to the smaller parts, so you can understand it.
“Let's break the costs down.”
“The teacher broke the poem down line by line.”
“Let's break down the problem step by step.”
(of negotiations or relationships)fail or end
“Talks broke down after a week.”
“Their relationship broke down after years of arguments.”
Force a door open by hitting it
Why “down”? Movement goes from high to low.
“Police had to break the door down.”
“Firefighters broke the door down.”
Decompose into simpler chemical substances
Why “down”? A whole loses its structure and breaks into simpler parts.
“Plastic doesn't break down quickly.”
“Leaves break down into soil.”
Memory hook
The machine falls down — it stops working.
Common mistake
My phone broke up this morning.
My phone broke down this morning.
Machines break down (stop working); people break up (end a relationship).
Natural collocations
The word partners “break down” most often appears with — learn the phrase, not just the verb.
Don't confuse with
Test yourself
“The car broke down on the motorway.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
break out
A contrast learners often mix up
(of war, fire or disease) Start suddenly; Escape from a locked or guarded place
break up
A contrast learners often mix up
Break into pieces; End a relationship or gathering
back down
Same down pattern: losing
Withdraw from a position
bear down
Same down pattern: downward
Move quickly and threateningly toward someone
beat down
Same down pattern: downward
(of sun or rain) fall strongly and steadily
bend down
Same down pattern: downward
Lean the upper body downward
blow down
Same down pattern: downward
Cause something to fall by blowing
boil down
Same down pattern: into parts
Reduce to the essential point
Tell it apart
Side-by-side comparisons with the verbs learners most often confuse for “break down”.
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