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Break down meaning

Break down means to stop working, used for cars and machines. It can also mean to start crying because you cannot control your feelings.

Check yourself: 3 questions

break down

break down · broke · broken · breaking

B2No object+3 more meanings

Our car broke down on the way to the airport.

Break down meanings and examples

4 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.

  1. 1stop working, used for cars and machines
  2. 2start crying because you cannot control your feelings
  3. 3fail, used for talks, plans or relationships
  4. 4divide something into smaller parts so it is easier to understand
  1. 1

    Stop working, used for cars and machines

    break down

    B2No object

    • Our car broke down on the way to the airport.
    • The lift has broken down again, so take the stairs.
    • What do I do if the bus breaks down in the mountains?
  2. 2

    Start crying because you cannot control your feelings

    break down

    B2No object

    • She broke down when the doctor gave her the news.
    • He broke down in the middle of his speech.
    • I didn’t break down until I got home.
  3. 3

    Fail, used for talks, plans or relationships

    break down

    B2No object

    • Talks between the two companies broke down last night.
    • Their marriage broke down after he moved abroad.
    • Communication often breaks down when a team is under stress.
  4. 4

    Divide something into smaller parts so it is easier to understand

    break something down

    B2Separable

    • Can you break down the costs for me?
    • Big tasks are easier if you break them down into steps.
    • The teacher broke the long word down into syllables.
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Is break down separable?

In its main meaning, break down has no object: The car broke down. When it means divide into parts, it is separable: break the cost down, break it down.

The noun is one word, breakdown: We had a breakdown on the motorway. A nervous breakdown is a serious mental health crisis, not a car problem.

Verb tenses for break down

PresentI break down · she breaks down
Pastbroke down
Present perfecthave broken down
-ing formbreaking down

Common mistakes with break down

What learners often say, and what to say instead.

  • Wrong: My car was broken down yesterday.

    Right: My car broke down yesterday.

    For the event, use the active past simple; was broken down describes a state.

  • Wrong: The printer is broke down again.

    Right: The printer has broken down again.

    The participle is broken, not broke.

  • Wrong: The oven broke down when I dropped it.

    Right: The oven broke when I dropped it.

    Break down is for a machine that stops working by itself, not damage from a fall.

Synonyms and opposites of break down

Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.

Similar

Opposite

  • fixmake a broken machine work again
  • pull yourself togethercontrol your feelings again after crying or panic

Break down quiz

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.

  1. 1We were late because the train ___ near Leeds.

  2. 2Choose the right sentence.

  3. 3“When he saw his old dog again, he broke down.” What did he do?

More phrasal verbs with break

5 phrasal verbs start with break. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.

Test yourself on breakTake the full test

Break down FAQ

Questions people ask about break down.

Is it breakdown or break down?

Break down, two words, is the verb: The van broke down. Breakdown, one word, is the noun: a breakdown on the road, a breakdown of the costs.

What does break it down mean?

Can you break it down? means please explain it in small, simple parts. In music and dance, it can also mean a part where the beat changes.

What is the difference between break down and break up?

Machines and talks break down when they stop working. Couples break up when they end their relationship, and things break up into pieces.

Use break down in real conversations

In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.

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