BREAK DOWN | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of break down in English

break down

phrasal verb with break verb uk /breɪk/ us /breɪk/ broke | broken

(MACHINE)

Add to word list Add to word list B2 If a machine or vehicle breaks down, it stops working: Our car broke down and we had to push it off the road. to break down

• break downThe lift has broken down again.
• stop workingI don’t understand it - my phone just stopped working.
• crashWhen a computer crashes, you reboot.
• failThe train’s brakes failed, causing it to derail.

See more results »

• The school bus broke down and had to be towed to the nearest garage.
• Oh no - has your washing machine broken down again?
• I'm worried that his car has broken down, or worse still, that he's had an accident.
• If the central heating breaks down again, I will refuse to pay the repair bill.
• Our dishwasher broke down just a month after the guarantee had expired.

Machines - not functioning

• act up phrasal verb
• balky
• blooey
• broken
• brokenness
• brown out phrasal verb
• brownout
• deactivate
• defunct
• downtime
• fail
• flat
• now defunct
• out of order idiom
• outage
• power (something) down phrasal verb
• seize
• short circuit
• shot
• whack

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(SYSTEM, RELATIONSHIP)

If a system, relationship, or discussion breaks down, it fails because there is a problem or disagreement. Causing something to end

• abandon
• abandonment
• all good things (must) come to an end idiom
• and have done with it idiom
• be over the hump idiom
• brake
• cure
• freeze
• get something over with phrasal verb
• give over phrasal verb
• grind to a halt idiom
• halt
• hang
• lid
• snap
• snap out of something phrasal verb
• snuff something out phrasal verb
• stamp on something phrasal verb
• stamp something out phrasal verb
• stanch

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(CRY)

to be unable to control your feelings and to start to cry: When we gave her the bad news, she broke down and cried. to cry

• cryShe skinned her knee and began to cry.
• weepMy lady, why do you weep?
• cry your eyes outOur children cried their eyes out when our dog ran way.
• sob your heart outShe waved goodbye to her parents, then went to the gate and sobbed her heart out.
• cry bucketsEvery time I watch that film, I just cry buckets at the ending.
• bawlI bawled when I found out I didn't win the prize.

See more results » Weeping and crying

• bawl
• blubber
• boohoo
• bucket
• burst out laughing/crying idiom
• close to tears
• crier
• have a sook idiom
• lachrymose
• lachrymosely
• mewl
• mewling
• tear something up phrasal verb
• tear-streaked
• teardrop
• tearful
• tearfully
• tearfulness
• waterworks
• weep

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break something down

phrasal verb with break verb uk /breɪk/ us /breɪk/ broke | broken to remove something from its place by force: He threatened to break the door down. Some of the campers had broken down fences and lit fires that caused a lot of damage. Destroying and demolishing

• annihilate
• annihilation
• apocalypse
• autolyse
• autolysis
• bash
• costly
• dynamite
• erosion
• erosional
• erosionally
• erosive
• sabotage
• saboteur
• sack
• sacking
• sacrifice
• scarred
• sink
• wipe

See more results » (Definition of break down from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

break down | American Dictionary

break down

phrasal verb with break verb us /breɪk/

(STOP WORKING)

Add to word list Add to word list to stop working or not be successful: Our car broke down on the thruway.

break down

phrasal verb with break verb us /breɪk/

(BECOME UPSET)

to become very upset: The girl broke down and cried when she got a bad grade.

break down something

phrasal verb with break verb us /breɪk/

(DIVIDE)

to divide something into smaller parts: It’s easier to handle the job if you break it down into several specific assignments. (Definition of break down from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

break down | Business English

break down

phrasal verb with break verb [ T ] uk /breɪk/ us broke | broken Add to word list Add to word list [ I or T ] to separate, or to separate something, into smaller parts: Can you break down our expenses by month and by region? The data breaks down into three main categories. [ I ] if a machine or vehicle breaks down, it stops working: Production has been slow because the equipment keeps breaking down. [ I ] if a system, relationship, or discussion breaks down, it fails because there is a problem or disagreement: Negotiations with management broke down. (Definition of break down from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of break down

in Chinese (Traditional) 機器, （機器或車輛）出故障, 溝通… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 机器, （机器或车辆）出故障, 沟通… See more in Spanish ruptura, crisis, colapso [masculine]… See more in Portuguese ruptura, término, ataque nervoso… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian ब्रेक डाऊन, बिघाड होणे - एखादे यंत्र किंवा वाहन बंद पडणे.… See more 神経衰弱, 故障, （交渉・関係の）決裂… See more zihinsel çöküntü, yıkım olma, bozulma… See more panne [feminine], dépression [feminine] (nerveuse), décomposition [feminine]… See more avariar-se… See more instorting, defect… See more ஒரு இயந்திரம் அல்லது வாகனம் உடைந்தால், அது வேலை செய்வதை நிறுத்துகிறது.… See more (किसी मशीन या वाहन का) ब्रेक-डाउन, यांत्रिक कार्य-भंग, बंद हो जाना… See more બ્રેક-ડાઉન, યાંત્રિક ભંગાણ, મશીન અથવા વાહનનું બંધ… See more sammenbrud… See more sammanbrott, kollaps, motorstopp… See more mengalami gangguan jiwa, rosak… See more der Zusammenbruch, die Panne… See more sammenbrudd [neuter], oppløsning [masculine], motorstopp [masculine]… See more خراب ہونا, بند ہونا, رک جانا… See more цілковите знесилення, поломка, аварія… See more యంత్రం పనిచెయ్యకుండా ఆగిపోవడం… See more ব্রেকডাউন, কোনো যন্ত্র বা গাড়ি যখন কাজ বন্ধ করে দেয়।… See more zhroucení, porucha, havárie… See more tekanan jiwa, mogok… See more ควบคุมอารมณ์หรือความรู้สึกไม่ได้, ใช้งานไม่ได้ (เครื่องจักร)… See more sự suy sụp tinh thần, sự hỏng máy… See more załamanie (nerwowe ), zerwanie, zestawienie… See more 고장나다… See more andare in panne, avere un guasto, abbattere… See more Need a translator?

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break clause break cover idiom break curfew break down barriers idiom break down phrasal verb break even idiom break fee break free break ground idiom {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of break down

• break down the fourth wall, at break the fourth wall
• break down barriers idiom

See all meanings

• break down barriers idiom

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the mother of all something

an extreme example of something

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• English   
  • Phrasal verb 
    • break down (MACHINE)
    • break down (SYSTEM, RELATIONSHIP)
    • break down (CRY)
    • break something down
• American   
  • Phrasal verb 
    • break down (STOP WORKING)
    • break down (BECOME UPSET)
    • break down something (DIVIDE)
• Business   Phrasal verb

• Translations
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