break down
— Phrasal Verb with break /breɪk/ verb (past tense broke, past participle broken)Definition
MACHINE › If a machine or vehicle breaks down, it stops working: My car broke down on the way to work.
COMMUNICATION › If a system, relationship, or discussion breaks down, it fails because there is a problem or disagreement: Their marriage broke down after only two years.
CRY › to become very upset and start crying
(Definition of break down from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse the Dictionary
Browse the Thesaurus
More Results for “break down”
Word of the Day
ride (out) the storm
to manage not to be destroyed, harmed or permanently affected by the difficult situation you...
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
