View synonyms for

breakdown

[ breyk-doun ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a breaking down, wearing out, or sudden loss of ability to function efficiently, as of a machine.
a loss of mental or physical health; collapse. Compare nervous breakdown.
an analysis or classification of something; division into parts, categories, processes, etc.
Chemistry.
1. decomposition.
2. analysis ( def 6 ).
Electricity. an electric discharge passing through faulty insulation or other material used to separate circuits or passing between electrodes in a vacuum or gas-filled tube.
a noisy, lively folk dance.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of breakdown¹

First recorded in 1825–35; noun use of verb phrase break down

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He did not blame any countries specifically for a breakdown in relations, but energy prices have been particularly impacted by the war in Ukraine and US President Donald Trump's recent trade war.

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Israel has repeatedly challenged the accuracy of the Palestinian fatalities list - in terms of overall numbers, and in particular, the demographic breakdown - claiming it is used as Hamas propaganda.

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Writing in the Observer, Miliband warned that an anti-net zero agenda would not only risk "climate breakdown" but "forfeit the clean energy jobs of the future".

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The decision, he has since explained, stemmed from a search for a moral and philosophical framework capable of making sense of the societal breakdowns he chronicled in his bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy.

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He also criticised the letter, published in the Financial Times, for "barely" mentioning Hamas and the role he said it had played in the breakdown of hostage release negotiations.

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Related Words

break dancing break down

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