break down

verbs

make ineffective

"Martin Luther King tried to break down racial discrimination"

break down, crush

is derived from

breakdown

make a mathematical, chemical, or grammatical analysis of; break down into components or essential features

"analyze a specimen"; "analyze a sentence"; "analyze a chemical compound"

analyse, analyze, break down, dissect, take apart

is derived from

breakdown

lose control of one's emotions

"When she heard that she had not passed the exam, she lost it completely"; "When her baby died, she snapped"

break down, lose it, snap

is derived from

breakdown

stop operating or functioning

"The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident"

break, break down, conk out, die, fail, give out, give way, go, go bad

is derived from

breakdown

fall apart

"the building crumbled after the explosion"; "Negotiations broke down"

break down, collapse, crumble, crumple, tumble

cause to fall or collapse

break down

is a type of (narrower)

ruin completely

"He busted my radio!"

break, bust

causes

fall apart

"the building crumbled after the explosion"; "Negotiations broke down"

break down, collapse, crumble, crumple, tumble

separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts

break down, break up, decompose

collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack

break down, collapse

is derived from

breakdown