breaking down
Ceasing to function
Breaking down covers forms of collapse or division.
Machines break down when they stop working: The car broke down on the highway.
People break down emotionally—crying, losing composure under stress.
To break something down is to divide it into smaller parts for analysis: Let me break down the costs for you.
Breaking down also describes physical decomposition: The enzyme breaks down proteins.
- collapsingFalling inward suddenly
- crumblingBreaking down gradually
- mental healthEmotional and cognitive well-being
- parsingGrammatical structure extraction
- decayingUndergoing organic breakdown
dismantling · taking apart · piece by piece · decompose · segmentation · disintegration · separate · erosion · analysis · burnout · crying fit · failing · dissolution · fracture · fragment · meltdown · failure · diagnosis
- digestionstomach acid, swallowing, digesting, chewing, digestion
- breaking downsplitting, fragmenting, dividing, partitioning, sectioning
- deterioratingdecaying, decomposing, degrading, rotting, eroding
- knocking downtoppling, demolishing, razing, felling, bulldozing
- emotional responsesfacial expression, tone of voice, temper tantrum, mood swing, silent treatment
- teachingteaching, lesson plans, instructing, educating, courses
breaking downworking
In active function
functioning · running · operating · fix · repair
breaking downbuilding up
Increasing gradually
putting together · assembling · constructing · building · creating
break, down, broken, breaking, unbroken, breakdown, daybreak, outbreak, breakable