to break down
—| B2-C1 (upper-intermediate to advanced) |—
In North American English, this phrasal verb typically means:
to no longer function (specific to vehicles) (see example 1)
to become extremely emotional (specific to people) (see example 2)
to explain an idea or concept by dividing it into smaller, simpler parts (see example 3)
EXAMPLES:
“I’m sorry I missed your party. My car broke down on the highway, so I had to call for help. The tow truck that came took three hours to get to me, so I didn’t get back to the city until well after the party had already ended.”
“While explaining what happened in his marriage that led to his divorce, he started breaking down.”
“I know this is a difficult concept to understand, so let’s break it down. First, we need to do this. Second, we must do that. And third, we complete it like this. Does that make more sense to you now?”
What kinds of sentences can you create with this phrasal verb? Practice in the comments below.
ASSOCIATED WORDS:
Some words related to “to break down” include:
ADJECTIVE (before a noun): broken-down
ADJECTIVE (after a noun): broken down
NOUN (definitions 2 and 3): breakdown
Some synonyms of “to break down” (definition 1) include:
COLLOCATION (standard): to stop working
COLLOCATION (formal): to fail to start
Some synonyms of “to break down” (definition 2) include:
COLLOCATION (informal): to get [quite] emotional
COLLOCATION (formal): to become [quite] emotional
COLLOCATION (informal; dramatic): to have an emotional crisis
Some synonyms of “to break down” (definition 3) include:
VERB (transitive): to simplify
IDIOM: to explain in chunks
IDIOM: to take it step by step